


The Girl Next Door

by LordCroussette



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Children, F/M, Family, Fatherhood, Fluff, Harry Potter/Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Harry Potter/Original Muggle Character(s), Marriage, Mentionned Underage Sex, Motherhood, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Parent!Harry, Parenthood, Potter Children - Freeform, Pregnancy, Romance, Teen Pregnancy, Teenagers, Twins Potters, Undescribed Underage Sex, Work In Progress, dad!harry, father!harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 28
Words: 65,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26898304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordCroussette/pseuds/LordCroussette
Summary: AU. HP/OC. Before his first year at Hogwarts, Harry make his first ever friend: a girl from a family that moved in Privet Drive. Harry and Sophia Clarke's relationship is like all others. Except things happen early. Way too early. Sophia become pregnant with Harry's child after the pre-teens "experiment". Now Harry has another challenge in his teenage years : being a good father.
Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Harry Potter/Sophia Clarke, Sirius Black/Amelia Bones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. The Girl Next Door

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Harry Potter and the Unexpected Blessing](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/697954) by JulesSC. 



> The first two chapters of this story have been taken in huge part from JulesSC's story Harry Potter and the Unexpected Blessing (Fanfiction.net ID: 7683626) (who, according from his Author's notes, has been inspired/taken from JLDANIEL's Curiosity Created the Cat (unknown). While I have not read JLDANIEL's story, I have read JulesSC's and I felt like it was a shame that it never went further than two chapters since I felt like it had a huge potential. So I decided to write it myself, using his two paragraphs as some sort of writing prompt challenge.
> 
> Unlike JulesSC's story, I dont intend on making it a multi-part story. Obviously if I think it is preferable, but also if I stop procrastinating, I will do it. But I just dont jump on that story making all big plans for it. I know that if I do I will never finish so I am taking things slowly. For now I just focus from the start of the story until Harry learn that Sophia is pregnant. Also different from the original story is that I don't plan on making it a Harry/Ginny story. Trust me, Harry/Ginny is my favourite ship of the franchise but for this story I prefer if it is Harry/Sophia. Making it a Harry/Ginny would mean that either things don't work between Harry and Sophia, making the raising of the child a big complicated for the two teens, or it would mean that Sophia would abandon the child to Harry which is something I will simply not allow in my story. For those who like the character of Ginny (like me) then fear no more. I am not planning on bashing anyone, especially not Ginny because she just happen to marry him in JK Rowling's original story. I see too many fics where Ginny's character is completly ruined, making her a gold-digger or something just to explain why Harry never become interested in her or stop loving her. In this story, she will just grow out of her crush and become as much of a friend as Ron and Hermione. That's pretty much it. Also for thoses who think it is too early for Harry to have a child, then you are missing the bloody point of the story.
> 
> Anyway thanks for reading this and enjoy the story.
> 
> AO3 BONUS: This is a copy/repost of The Girl Next Door. I posted the original fic on Fanfiction.net (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13656449/1/The-Girl-Next-Door) and it is where it will be updated first.

Harry Potter was a weird child. Of course, it was far from his fault. Harry had landed at #4 Privet Drive when he was a year-old when his parents died on Halloween 1981. His Aunt and Uncle didn't like him, Harry never understood why but they did and they made sure that Harry knew it. Ever since the Dursleys took him in, they had treated him more like a personal servant than one of their own. While Vernon and Petunia' Dursley's son Dudley was treated like a prince and pampered like there was no tomorrow, Harry barely received enough food to feed himself. He was forced to do almost all the work and chores around the house and during the night he was locked-up in the small cupboard under the stairs. It is not like they did not have a room available for him either. The house had four rooms available, one being for Harry's Aunt and Uncle, one for guests (but mostly Vernon's sister Marge when she was around) and two whole rooms for Dudley.

If it wasn't already bad enough, it seamed like his only family left tried their hardest to make sure Harry did not have any friends. While Dudley was always allowed to go see his friends or bring them home, it was a big no-no for Harry. Also, Dudley had a lot of fun at school beating up anyone who showed up any remote interest in even being a friend to Harry. It did not help that pretty much every adult in the neighbourhood believed the Dursley's story that Harry was nothing but trouble so he never got any sympathy from anyone.

At ten-years-old, Harry had long lost hope that he would ever make friends, well as long as he was stuck with his relatives. The summer holidays had begun a few weeks ago and like the previous years, Harry was forced to work all day for his relatives. One of theses days, Harry was home alone, for once. The previous evening, his Uncle Vernon had announced that they had been invited to a prestigious dinner held on a prestigious yacht owned by a prestigious new investor of the company's. Now they had the problem of finding someone to look out after Harry while they were away. Not because they cared for his well-being, but they cared for the well-being of their house. After all, what would happen to the house if a _weirdo_ like Harry Potter was left alone in it for half a day?

After calling everyone they could think of and receiving many negatives responses, the Dursleys had no choice left but to leave Harry alone behind. Of course, they gave him a huge list of chores. It was better to keep him occupied so that he would not have free time to do anything he wanted to do.  
The Dursleys had left around three-o-clock to make the long trip to the pier. Harry was told that they would be back around midnight. It was a huge relief, in a way, to have the house himself for an entire day, even if he was stuck doing chores the entire time. It meant that he was free of Aunt Petunia's withering glare, Uncle Vernon's sneers and Dudley's fist, even for a few hours.

By the time it was nearing six, Harry had washed the dishes, scrubbed every nook and cranny of the kitchen, cleared the mess Dudley had made last night in the living room, mowed the lawn and weeded the garden. Sweating hard thanks to the blazing afternoon sun, his clothes grimy with sweat and dirt, Harry grabbed a glass of iced water and sat outside in the Dursleys' backyard under the shade of a tall tree, his mind wandering aimlessly.

Harry had been thinking about his next year at school and the horrendous uniforms Aunt Petunia had made for him from some of Dudley's old clothes when Harry heard a soft crunching noise, like someone stepping on crisp leaves and a shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight from his overheated face. He panicked, his heart racing, and he pleaded to the universe not to let that be his aunt or uncle. Or even his cousin.

Expecting the worse, Harry turned his head around and looked up. He saw a girl, probably new to the neighbourhood and about his age. The sun was behind her, which hid her face in the shadows but he could see that she was very pretty and Harry found her breathtaking, quite literally, has be began to choke a little and started coughing, blood rushing up to his already warm face and turning it an almost purple hue.

Noticing Harry's situation, the girl quickly went by his side, looking at him with worry, dropped on her knees and started patting him in the back in an attempt to stop his coughing.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly once he had stopped.

Harry nodded and quickly took a sip from his glass of water and looked at the girl. He gaped. He had never seen her before, he was sure he would remember that.

The girl, a slim, pretty young thing, had beautiful dark emerald eyes – darker than his own, and incredibly stunning – and long, wavy dark brown hair that glinted red and gold in the sunlight. She looked to be his age, and he felt himself relaxing just a tiny bit. She didn't look menacing. In fact, with her eyes wide with concern – concern for him, he realized with an awed thrill – she seemed…Kind, even.

"I'm…fine, thank you." Harry managed to splutter out. He stared at her, his eyes as wide as saucers.

The girl shifted slightly, an almost embarrassed, shy smile on her lips. Her hand withdrew from his back and she reached out to tuck a long lock of mahogany hair behind her ear.

"I'm Sophia," she introduced herself.

She stared at him and it took him a few moments to realize why. "Oh. I-I, um, I'm Harry," he replied. "It's…Nice to meet you."

She beamed and sat down next to him, mimicking his position with her back against the tree bark, as though his stuttered words had been some sort of invitation.  
"What are you doing outside, sitting here on your own?" she asked politely.

Harry was not sure how to answer. He usually had nobody to talk to and if he did he learned long ago never to talk about what was happening to him at the Dursleys. It never did any good for anyone. But this time, he wanted to tell her. Something made him feel like he could trust her. He had never felt like that toward someone so he trusted his instincts.

"My Uncle's company invited him to go on a cruise dinner. He took my aunt and cousin and left me alone with a list full of chores to do while they are away."

Sophia seemed outraged, though Harry didn't know why. "And left you here alone to do chores all day!" she gasped. "How awful! Why did your parents leave you here?"

Sophia felt the wave of sadness coming from Harry and automatically regretted her question.

"My parents died when I was a year-old. I have been stuck here ever since." Harry answered.

"I am sorry." Sophia said sadly. "I didn't know."

Harry looked at her with a small smile. It was weird for Harry to see compassion toward him. He was used to people, well mostly his family, saying that his parents' death was good riddance.

"Don't worry Sophia, you could not know." he smiled at her. "My Aunt told me they died in a car crash, which also is the reason why I have this scar on my forehead, apparently. Honestly I don't really believe her story." he said while moving away a bundle of hair that was in front of it and pointing at it.

Sophia's eyes widened. "Surprisingly," she said, "it does not look bad at all."

Harry blushed. "Thanks." he said. "What about you?" he added.

"My father passed away when I was four-years-old." she said sadly. "He was away on a business trip in Europe and the plane he was on crashed. Now I am living alone with my mother."

Harry did not know what pushed him to do so, but he gave her a hug. "Sorry." he said.

Sophia though that being in Harry's arms felt very good and blushed. "Thanks." she said. "But like you said, you couldn't know." she added with a small smile.

Harry released her from his hug and smiled as well. "When did you arrive at Privet Drive? I don't remember seeing you here before." he asked.

"We moved in yesterday at #12." she said. "We moved around a lot in the last few years and I never had really any friends. My mother told me that we are moving here permanently so I am happy. I've been…exploring."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad you explored," he told her sincerely.

She giggled. "Me too," she agreed. "Would it be alright if I were to come by here tomorrow?" she asked, her voice shy.

When he hesitated, Sophia nodded, a crestfallen expression on her face. "Oh. It's alright then," she said, moving to stand up. "I'll just-"

Harry's hand shot out and he grasped her arm, an almost desperate look in his eyes. He had no idea why he felt so attached to Sophia but she was the first and only friend he had ever had. He didn't want her to leave and never return, even if he knew where she lived. He didn't want her to think he didn't want her around.

"No, wait," he said. She sat back down, her eyes sad and searching. "It's not that I don't want you to come by. I do. I'd like that very much. I never had any friends before as well. It's just that I am never allowed to bring anyone home and my cousin always beat up anyone who show interest in being my friend." he said sadly. "I don't want this to happen to you, you don't deserve it, I'd hate for you to get hurt."

"I'm a tough girl, Harry," she assured him, placing her hand over his comfortingly.

He still looked very hesitant as he held her hand tightly, a worried crease between his eyebrows.

Sophia bit her lip, looking at Harry speculatively with her brilliant emerald eyes. "What if…What if they don't know I'm here?" she suggested tentatively.

Harry's eyes widened and the hopeful glint in his eyes told Sophia that he wasn't making up stories about his family. Her heart swelled – she was sad that he didn't have such a great family life (even though she felt as though she hardly knew her father, she knew he still loved her and her grandparents were the sweetest, most affectionate people Sophia had ever known) but she was ecstatic that he wanted to be her friend and have her around the next day.

"You mean…hide?" he asked, just a touch of hesitance in his voice.

She nodded. "I'll come in through there," she pointed at the bushes at the very back of the backyard; it wasn't connected to the fence at the side of the yard, separating them from the neighbor's house. "We'll meet up and maybe sometimes we'll go to the park."

Her eyes lit up and her face was as animated as her voice as she spoke. Harry couldn't help but smile and agree, even if he knew that he would be in a lot of trouble if Aunt Petunia ever found out about this.

Just before it grew completely dark, Sophia rose from her spot next to Harry. Harry scrambled to his feet, following her blindly. Sophia smiled, taking hold of Harry's hand. He felt a brush spread wildly across his cheeks. "I'll see you tomorrow, Harry," she grinned.

Leaning in closer, she pressed her lips to Harry's cheek. Harry's eyes widened greatly, his cheeks growing even hotter until he felt like he had gotten terrible sunburn again like he had when he'd been forced to work the garden during the heat wave a few summers back.

Sophia blushed too though he suspected his face was redder than hers and, with a girlish giggle, she ran out of the yard and out of his sight. Harry stared after her, dumbstruck, until a loud hoot from an owl brought him back to reality. Blinking a few times, he received a start when he realized that he had spent over an hour doing absolutely nothing but sit in his aunt's backyard, listening to Sophia talk.

He hurried back into the house, wanting to get back to his chores before his relatives returned. Even while he cleaned and scrubbed for hours, the strain causing his muscles to get sore, he couldn't wipe the huge grin on his face. That same grin got him into trouble hours later when Uncle Vernon came home, found him smiling as he was washing the windows and pulled him down to punish him for not completing all his chores.

As he was shoved back into the darkness of his cupboard, the memory of Sophia's happy smile and bright eyes brought an unbidden smile across his lips. He closed his eyes, laying down sorely on his thin, scratchy mattress.

For the first time in the past few days, as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he didn't dream of green lights and chilling screams. Instead, he dreamed of wide, friendly green eyes and the comforting touch of his very first friend.


	2. Meeting Mrs. Clarke

Nearly a month had passed since Harry and Sophia had first struck up their friendship. To Harry's utter surprise, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon nor Dudley had found out about Sophia, but that probably had something to do with Sophia's ability to be very sneaky. She even seemed to take a lot of pleasure in sneaking around, saying that it was somewhat thrilling to be so secretive. He couldn't help but laugh at her excitement over the matter.

Harry and Sophia had spent the last month meeting up at various places, either secretly spending time alone and having fun or just secretly meeting up while Harry was doing chores outside. Either way, they kept their friendship secret. They did not want the Dursleys to know about it as they would try to stop it.

Sophia had heard the stories about Harry that ran around Privet Drive. She did not believe for a single moment theses stories and made sure to tell just that to Harry which made him extremely happy. Sophia knew it was rubbish had she had seen first hand how Harry was treated at his relatives while she was hidden in their backyard. She had heard their screeches while waiting for her friend, enough times to know how horrible they were. She had seen what a monstrosity their son was when she'd spied him in the park, bullying smaller children (which, in Dudley Dursley's case, were everyone below the age of thirteen). And she knew what terrible guardians the Dursleys made, seeing how they treated Harry like a slave when she knew he was the sweetest boy ever and would've never done anything to warrant such treatment.

Today was the first day Harry was able to go at #12 Privet Drive, Sophia's home. It was also Dudley's birthday and the rest of the family had gone to the zoo with one of Dudley's friends. They had originally wanted to put him at Mrs. Figg but she was unavailable since she had previously broken her leg. The Dursleys had considered taking him with them until Petunia remembered about 'theses new neighbours at #12' and that maybe they would take him for the day. Harry had to hide his happiness. Harry could spend the day at Sophia's courtesy of the Dursleys who were not even aware that there was a girl of his age there, even less being best friends with her already. And so the Dursleys called them and Sophia's mother accepted, already aware of the secret friendship between her daughter and her friend Harry. Not that she would mention it to the Dursleys of course.

The Dursleys left that morning, leaving Harry to walk to Sophia's. When he arrived, he knocked on the door which opened in an instant, revealing Sophia who ran toward him and gave him a big hug. She quickly withdrew when she realised what she was doing and both ended up with faces more red than usual. "Come on in!" she happily said, taking his hand. "Mum, this is my friend Harry I talked to you about." she said to her mother when they entered the living room.

Sophia's mother looked at Harry and froze for a fraction of a second. In front of her was the Harry Potter. Sophia's mother was a squib and so was aware of the magical world and who Harry was. It was something she had kept a secret from even her late husband and daughter. And now her only child had brough home her new best friend, Harry Potter himself.

"Hi!" Harry said. "I'm Harry." he said shyly. "Thank you for inviting me in your home Mrs... uh-" Harry and Sophia had just realised that they had never shared their last names with each other.

"Welcome Harry. I am Mrs. Florence Clarke" she said while giving him a motherly hug. I heard a lot of good things about you!"

Harry blushed. "Thanks." he said.

"I am going to do some shopping, you know the rules Sophia." she said.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Yes Mum, I know what I can do and can't."

"Alright, I should be back in an hour or two, have fun you two!" she said with a smile before leaving."

"What do you want to do?" asked Sophia to Harry.

"I don't know, anything you want. I am just happy to be here and not stuck home doing chores." he told her with a smile.

"Let's go to the swing then!" she said, taking his hand again and taking him to the backyard where two swings stood.

Harry waited until Sophia had sat down on the swing, her fingers curled around the metal chain link on either side of her, before he grasped the metal ropes and gently began pushing her back and forth.

"Faster, Harry!" she called out, smiling so broadly that it almost hurt her face. Sophia let out a girlish giggle as wind whipped her hair back violently from her face.  
Harry continued pushing her a few times on the swings before Sophia hopped off the seat – on a particularly fast and high swing, too, scaring the daylights out of him – twirled around, snatched his hand and dragged him to a partially shaded area nearby. They laid down on the grassy ground, so close side by side that their elbows touched as they each folded their hands on their stomachs.

They gazed up at the cloudy sky, their still innocent minds making patterns in the fluffy clouds, pointing out dogs and angels and smiling faces in the sky. They fell silent after a while and Harry sighed, feeling a strange sense of contentment that he had never felt before in his life except for whenever Sophia was around.

"Harry?" Sophia's soft voice broke through the silence.

"Mm?"

"I'm happy you're my friend, even if we have to hide from everyone else but Mum."

His eyes snapped open and he turned his head to the side, his cheek grazing the soft, slightly parched grass. The admittance had been so out of the blue that it had caught him off guard. His eyes widened as he caught her emerald gaze, the intensity in them burning them a darker color than usual.

Blushing, he offered her a shy smile and agreed, "Me too."

Soft giggles made their way past their lips and they shyly averted their gaze. An almost awkward silence filled the air between them. A few seconds trickled by slowly before Sophia lifted her arm, pointed at a random cloud and murmured, "Look, Harry…That's a lawnmower."

He smiled, tucking one arm behind his head and argued with her playfully that it looked more like a large cat to him. They had been at it for a while and Harry was almost dozing off until he heard a small scream from his right side which made him shoot upright. Sophia was sitting up, too, but her face was scrunched up in horror. Her body was shaking in fear and she seemed frozen, her green eyes fixed on the grass a few feet away from them. Harry followed her gaze and was shocked to see an ominous looking black snake slithering forward, one inch at a time.

Instinctively, Harry put himself between Sophia and the snake and yelled " _Stop_!"

To his surprise, the snake did stop. It stared at him, black, beady eyes fixed on him.

Following a crazy theory that the snake might understand him, he continued, his voice still panicked to his ears, " _Don't touch her!_ "

The snake relaxed, its body no longer poised to attack, and its head lowered to the grassy ground.

Then, as though this was normal, the snake began to speak, " _You ssspeak_?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "What the hell?" he said outloud.

Sophia was looking at Harry and the snake with wide eyes. She felt something, something good in her heart when Harry put himself between the snake and herself but she was shocked when she heard Harry hissing at the snake. Not only that but the snake had stopped what it was doing and hissed back and she heard Harry say "What the hell?"

Sophia wasn't the only one confused. As far as he was concerned, the snake was speaking English to him. Forget that. The snake was speaking, period.

" _You are also speaking_." retorted Harry while gaping at him. " _Are you magical_?" he asked.

The snake blinked and Harry thought if it could smirk, it probably would have. " _I am not the one who ssspeaksss a language mortalsss ssshould not know_ ," the snake hissed, though Harry couldn't detect malice in its voice. " _What are you_?"

Harry started, surprised. " _Me_?" he wondered aloud. " _I'm just a boy_."

" _Imposssible_."

Harry blinked.

" _We sssnakesss…We do not harm Sssspeakerssss,_ " the snake finally said. " _If ssshe isss your mate, I will leave her be._ " Harry blushed wildly at the word 'mate' but he supposed he couldn't hold it against the snake; after all, what do snakes know about how people worked?

The snake took one last, long look at Harry before turning and slinking away towards the forest of overgrown trees and bushes behind the Clarke's backyard. Harry kept a sharp eye out for the shiny, black serpent and once he was absolutely sure the snake was no longer nearby, he turned to face Sophia. His mouth was already open, the words already out to apologize to her for what the snake had called her. Mate.

"Sophia, I'm so…" he trailed off, the words stuck in his throat as he caught the look on Sophia's face. Her skin was unusually pale, having lost the peachy rosiness of her cheeks. Her jaw was dropped and her eyes were as big and round as saucers. She was breathing heavily, as though she was having a panic attack, and she stared at him as though she had never seen something more peculiar than him.

Then he remembered. He had spoken. To a snake. In front of Sophia.

Harry had known for years that he was different from others. After all, weird things did happen around him during his childhood. But every time it happened, he was punished. He knew something like that would probably scare Sophia. After all, he had done something weird, something abnormal. His heart started to race.

"Sophia…" he said, desperation in his voice even as he was at a loss for how to continue.

They stared at each other for a few long moments before Sophia let out a breath, the sound coming out loud as though she had been holding her breath for a long time.

"You spoke to a snake."

Harry quickly nodded, fear still evident in his face.

"How?"

"I don't know." he answered truthfully. At her scoff, he hurried to assure her, "I swear I don't. It just happened. It was like a reflex. I did not think about it I just yelled at it to stop and it did. Surely you realize there was something odd with the snake, right?"

When she only looked at him in confusion, he elaborated even though he felt he needn't have to.

"The snake…It spoke," he stated out the obvious.

Sophia's eyebrows furrowed together. "How do you mean?" she wondered.

Harry stared at her. "Wha…" he trailed off, bewildered. "You were there, Sophia! The snake could speak!"

Sophia's eyebrows rose up to her hairline. "No, Harry," she argued. Her voice was gentler, kinder, now that her panic seemed to be ceasing but she looked as though she considered him mentally ill. "The snake could hiss – and so did you."

"Huh?"

"The snake," Sophia repeated. "It was coming forward and you just…You started hissing. It stopped moving, then you went on hissing. I think…"

And here, she licked her dry lips, hesitating as though worried her sanity might be called into question.

"I think it understood you."

Harry gaped at her. "I…Sophia, I was speaking English," he said, but his voice wavered uncertainly. "The snake was too…Wasn't I?"

Sophia shook her head.

He sat back, his body feeling as numb as his mind now. How could he have spoken a whole different language - a snake language, at that, something other people surely didn't know how to speak (he remembered the snake's words now, about how "mortals" shouldn't be able to communicate with snakes) - without even realizing it?  
Sophia stared at him and he stared back, both unsure of what to do. Finally, after what felt like forever filled with silence and uncertain stares, Sophia finally spoke.

"You told the snake to go away?"

Harry nodded, clearing his tight throat so he could speak. "I told it to leave you alone," his voice sounded funny to his ears.

Sophia seemed like she was searching for something as she looked into his eyes. Her emerald eyes seemed so intense that he daren't look away.

Then, a miracle happened.

Her body relaxed, the tension seeming to ebb away into nothingness, and her lips formed a smile. It wasn't her usual cheerful, playful smile but it was genuine and friendly all the same.

"Okay."

He blinked. "Okay?" he repeated.

She nodded. "And…thank you," she added.

She paused, as though she was deliberating on something, then in a move so fast he almost missed it, she darted forward, briefly surrounding him in mahogany hair and the sweet scent of roses and vanilla. Her soft lips pressed against his cheek, warming it up instantly until it burned hotter than any sunburn he'd ever gotten.

He couldn't meet her eyes when she pulled away as he continued to blush, stuttering out, "Um…Y-you're welcome."

She giggled a little and he peeked up at her to see her cheeks were flaming red, too. That made him feel better somewhat.

After that incident, the day continued and the duo quickly came back to their fun. They watched a movie on the television, something Harry had never done before, they played together at the nearby park and had lunch with Sophia and Mrs. Clarke. During the afternoon, Harry had to go back home since his relatives had just called telling him to come back. Overall, it had been one of Harry's best days in his life so far.

The next morning, Harry received a letter.


	3. Falling in Love

The morning following Harry's first day at Sophia's house, Harry was ordered by his Uncle to go fetch the mail. In it, Harry found a letter adressed to him. He had tried to open and read it but it was quickly snached by his Uncle. When he saw the letter, his face paled and he called Aunt Petunia who also paled when she saw the letter.  
After being kicked out of the kitchen, both Dudley and Harry had tried to listen in to the grown-up's conversation but Harry only heard small bits. All he knew is that whoever it was, it scared the Dursleys. Since the letter was adressed to The Cupboard Under The Stairs, the Dursleys finally, after all theses years, decided to give Harry his own room. He was glad to have the room, but Harry would have prefered the letter.

That afternoon, Harry went outside to the nearby park and sat on a bench, still angry about the letter altrough he was able to hide it well. But not to a certain someone.  
"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Sophia who had just arrived.

Harry gave her a small smile when she sat on the bench and said. "I am a bit angry." he admitted. "I received a letter today. It was the first ever one addressed to my name but my relatives refused to even let me open it." he pouted.

"What did they do with it?" she asked.

"They burned it, but not before telling me that the letter was sent by mistake."

"I'm sorry." said Sophia. She still could not understand how someone could treat Harry that way. He was sweat and kind, he did not deserve this from his relatives.

"Don't be. It isn't your fault, it's my relatives." he said before giving a one-arm hug to his best friend. Sophia gave him a smile of appreciation.

"I am sure they will send another letter if it is important."

"I hope so."

True to Sophia's prediction, the next morning, Harry had received two copies of the letter at once. Again, his uncle burned them before he could read one. And the next morning, the same thing happened but this time with six letters. Vernon had enough and nailed up the mail slot. Then the following morning, twelves letters arrived, rolled up and hidden inside the dozen eggs the Dursleys received from the milkman. Harry had kept Sophia in the loop and they both laughed when Harry told her about the letters hidden in the eggs. On Sunday, Sophia felt like something big would happen with the letters today and so she woke up early and set off to #4.

Sophia had been looking in the house for a few minutes when she suddenly heard a bang from inside and suddenly saw a literal explosion of letters. She had to fight very hard not to laugh out loud and alert the Dursleys to her presence.

"That does it," she heard Vernon Dursley saying. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"  
Sophia quickly backed away from the house after hearing that. Her best friend was going away and who knew for how long. She was hopping he would be back for his birthday which was in a few days.

The few days after The Dursleys had left with Harry had been hard with Sophia. It made her realise how much she liked having him around and without him, she felt lonely. Harry was feeling the same way. If he was ignoring all the shenanigans from his uncle, Harry was incredibly bored and missed his best friend a lot. She noticed the Dursleys come back on the morning of Harry's birthday but worried when she noticed that Harry was not in the car.

Harry came back to Privet Drive that late afternoon and after dropping all his new stuff in his room and letting his snowy owl out the window, Harry set off toward #12 running. He did not tell the Dursleys, anyway they would be too scared of him to try to force him to do anything.

Harry was happy to be able to share the news with Sophia. He, Harry Potter was a wizard! Magic was real! He was going to Hogwarts !... He was going to Hogwarts. The realisation hit Harry hard, enough to make him stop mid-run in front of #10. He was going away to Hogwarts, he would not see Sophia for almost a year.

Sophia was coming back from a boring outing to the local park when she noticed Harry was back! The problem is that he was just standing there, two houses away from hers, apparently in deep though. She approached him quietly and said "Harry?"

Harry jumped in surprise and looked at Sophia before grinning. Whatever was on his mind had left him. Sophia grinned as well and they took each other in a big hug. After a minute, they looked at each other in the eyes, emerald eyes looking at dark emerald eyes. Still smiling and in each other's arms, Sophia quietly said "Happy Birthday Harry." before saying "I missed you."

"I missed you too as well." he also said quietly while they were still looking at each other in the eyes. Not caring that they were keeping their friendship secret, and that they were currently hugging in public, Harry and Sophia slowly approached each other and kissed.

Harry suddenly felt a fire lit up inside him. He knew at that moment that he had completely and totally fallen in love with Sophia Clarke.

Sophia wasn't much better. She could feel her stomach do somersaults. She also knew at that moment that she had totally fallen in love with Harry Potter.

It took them quite a while to stop. While it was quite chaste when compared to kisses kids a few years older would give, it was something big and important for them.

"I never knew love before, but now I know how it feels like. I love you Sophia."

"I love you too Harry." she said smiling with tears in her eyes.

Harry opened his mouth to speak but hesitated for a few seconds. "I would love if you wanted to be my girlfriend but before you agree I need to talk to you about what I learned since I left a few days ago. It would impact any relationship we would try to make."

Sophia nodded in understanding. "Let's go at my house then." she said before giving him another long kiss.

Once sitting on the couch of the sitting room of #12, Harry started his story. "I know it will sound ridiculous but please hear me out. I swear on my life that I am not lying to you in any way, at least not that I am aware of."

Sophia nodded, taking his hand and squeezing it in support.

"It all started with the letters. When we left, my uncle took us all around the country, or at least that is how it felt at the time even if we probably did not go too far away now that I think of it. The first night we stopped it was at an hotel and the next morning the owner came to our table at breakfast and asked if there was a 'H. Potter', saying that he had about a hundred letters addressed to that name.

Sophia laughed. "You're joking!"

"Am not, I almost bursted out laughing, especially when my uncle's face became all purple." he said after a snort. "We quickly left the hotel after that and Uncle Vernon continued driving us all around until we arrived at a pier where he took us on a shack on a rocky island in the middle of the sea!"

"What!" she reacted in shock. "He lost it hasn't he?"

"I'm pretty sure he did." said Harry with a small laugh. "He was muttering to himself the whole car ride, nobody wanted to speak, not even Dudley. We spent the night here. I stayed awake most of the night, I couldn't go to sleep. I kept thinking about the letters, who was sending it and also I kept thinking about how much I missed you." he said with a smile, looking at her dark emerald eyes.

Sophia answered by kissing him. Harry then continued his story. "That was last night. I was counting down to midnight, knowing that my birthday was today. At midnight precisely, someone knocked on the door. Loudly."

"Someone knocked on the door? But you were on an island in the middle of the sea!"

"I know. Theses knocks woke up the Dursleys. Dudley said some rubbish about canons when he heard them." he snorted. "The door was broken open and a giant man, probably like eleven-feet tall. We were all scared of him, Uncle Vernon actually had a firearm pointed at the man. Do you know what the first thing the giant man said after breaking down the front door?"

"What was it?" she said with anticipation.

"He asked politely if we could make a cup of tea for him."

Sophia burst out laughing.

"Uncle Vernon threatened him with his firearm, asking him to leave at once but the giant man didn't care, he just did a knot with the barrel before throwing the weapon away." laughed Harry.

Sophia had long stopped holding Harry's hand as she was now in stiches.

"I-I wish I could-could have seen your-your relatives' faces at that moment!" she said still laughing.

"Had I not been scared myself I would probably have laughed like you are currently doing."

After they had calmed down, Sophia asked Harry "So, why was the giant man there?"

"Oh yeah right." he said. He hesitated and looked at Sophia. She could feel his hesitation. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Trust me Sophia, it is not that I don't want to tell you, I am just... afraid of your reaction. I don't want you to think that I am mental or something."

"I would never think that!"

"I hope you are right." he sighed. "The giant man, whose name is Rubeus Hagrid or just Hagrid as everyone call him, was there to give me the letter the Dursleys kept trying to avoid. That letter was from Hogwarts. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Sophia's dark emerald eyes became wide open. She could see that Harry was afraid of her reaction, fearing that she would not believe him. She could also see that he was not lying.

"Witchcraft and Wizardry? As in magic? Magic is real?" she asked with hesitation. Before Harry could say anything, Mrs. Clarke spoke up for the first time, neither one had noticed her entering the room. "Magic is indeed real Sophia."

"Are you a witch?" Harry asked to Mrs. Clarke with shock.

Mrs. Clarke shook her head. "No, I am what people call a 'squib'. A squib is someone born of one or two magical parents that do not have magical power themselves." she added.

"You knew about magic?" Sophia asked her. Both children were shocked about that revelation.

"Yes I knew about it. I never lived in the Wizarding World but I did go there from time to time. Your maternal grandparents were magical, just like Harry is. And yes Harry, I know your story. It was quite a shock when Sophia brought you here for the first time." she said with a smile.

Harry was gaping at her. "Why didn't you tell me?" asked both Harry and Sophia to Mrs. Clarke at the same time. They all smiled when they heard each other.

"I never told you Sophia because my knowledge of the Wizarding World is pretty limited. I did go a few times in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade but apart from that I lived in the Muggle World."

"Muggle World?"

"'Muggle' is a term used by wizards and witches when referring to non-magical humans. Well non-magical humans that do not have a magical parent."  
"Why didn't you live in the Wizarding World if your parents were magical?" asked Harry.

"Simply because Wizardkind is heavily bigoted. When my family discovered that I was a squib I was kicked out of the family. My parents did not stand by it and because of that they were also kicked out. Ever since we have lived in the Muggle World. I kept it a secret, even after I married your father David. When you were born, I had your grandfather check if you had magical powers. After all, any muggleborn witch or wizard, which is a magical person born from non-magical parents, all have squibs in their ancestry. But it came out negative so I did not think further of it. After all, what would have been the point of telling you when it would not have impacted your life in any way? But when a week ago you showed up here with non-other than Harry Potter himself, I realised I would have to tell you soon."

"But how did you know Harry? What is special about him?" she asked.

"Apart from being the boy you love?" she asked teasingly. Both Harry and Sophia blushed. She had clearly seen them kissing earlier.

"To answer that I should go back to my story." Harry said. "Remember the first time we met each other, when I told you that my Aunt told me that my parents died in a car crash?" Sophia nodded.

"WHAT?" Mrs. Clarke said in shock. "The Dursleys told you that your parents died in a car crash?"

Harry nodded. "As you can now realise, they were lying." he said while looking at Sophia. "On Halloween 1981, an evil wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort-" Harry noticed Mrs. Clarke flinch at the name. "-came to our house and killed both of my parents who were trying to protect me before turning his wand on me. He tried to kill me as well but somehow, the curse he sent me rebounded and hit him, defeating him. That is how I got the scar on my forehead. That is also why your mother knew who I was the moment she saw me, before I was even introduced. Voldemort was feared by the whole magical world and nobody survived when he wanted someone dead. At least until me. Not only did I survive a curse from one of the most powerful wizards in recent centuries, and the most feared, but the curse also defeated him, driving him away. He has not been seen in the country ever since that night. That is why I am famous. I am what they call the Boy-Who-Lived."

Sophia was now slowly crying. It was a lot to take on. The one she loved had been targeted by an evil wizard at one-year-old, both his parents died protecting him and he somehow survived what no-one before had, just to end up at the Dursleys were he lived a miserable life before meeting her a month ago. Harry took her in a hug and let he cry on his shoulder. Mrs. Clarke was witness to all that. They had barely known each other for a month and she could already tell that each other were madly in love. She would be more surprised if they did not end up together than if they did.

After a few minutes, Sophia asked. "Harry? You said that what you had to tell me could impact any relationship we tried to form. I don't really understand why since I don't really care if you are a wizard or not. You are still Harry to me."

Harry smiled. "I am glad you think of that love," he said, earning a small squeak from Sophia before continuing "but it is not what was worrying me. In a month, I will go to Hogwarts. It is a boarding school somewhere up north of the country and we won't be able to see each other until the school year end sometime in June." he said sadly.  
"At least we still have a month together before you go to Hogwarts, right?"

"Yes I have, the school year start on September 1st and while at school I will be able to send you letters. Every day if you want."

Mrs. Clarke interceded the conversation. "That is not exactly true." she said with a small knowing smile. Harry and Sophia were curious about what she was about to say. "I might not know about the Wizarding World a lot but I know that you can leave school for the holidays just like in the Muggle World. If you want you are invited for the Christmas and Easter Holidays."

"Really?" asked Sophia to her mother.

"Yes dear." she said smiling.

"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" she said jumping to her mother and giving her the strongest hug she could.

Harry was also happy, after all it meant more time with Sophia during the year. "If I am not much trouble then I will gladly accept."

"Of course you won't be too much trouble. After all the more the merrier!"

"Thank you." he said before hugging her as well. "I should probably go back to the Dursleys before they become too angry. Not that they would really do anything as they are too scared of my magical power to try anything." He turned around to look at Sophia before they took each other into their open arms. "I dont think they will be much of a problem so I think we will be able to enjoy our last month of the summer together way more than before. Now that you know what I wanted to tell you. Do you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked grinning. Sophia did not answer. Well not with words at least because she kissed him hard. "I guess that mean yes." he said with a goofy smile.

That night, Harry layed in his bed thinking about the day. Harry had woken up in a shack after learning that he was a wizard. He went to Diagon Alley, bought all he needed for school including his wand, he also received Hedwig for a gift. He then came back home, only to meet Sophia again, telling her what he learned and himself learning that her mother was born in the magical world and then asked Sophia if she wanted to be his girlfriend which she accepted with passion. All and all not a bad 11th birthday he though.

Who was he kidding it was the best birthday of his life and he doubted it would be better.


	4. Beginning of Term and Halloween

Harry and Sophia spent the last month of the Summer Holidays together, as much as they could. Like Harry had said, the Dursleys, for once, were no longer a problem. Harry and Sophia continued what they had been doing the month before, but they no longer cared about keeping it a secret from Privet Drive. Harry no longer cared, he did not think that the Dursleys would be any more of a problem in the future or he could just threaten them with magic. Sophia was in the same boat. When Harry would go to Hogwarts, she would go to her own boarding school which was not close to Privet Drive so she should not have any problems with the reputation the other families were giving her because she was dating "that criminal Potter" as they saw him.  
August 31st had been an emotional goodbye for the couple, as they would not see each other until the Christmas Holidays. Of course, Harry and Sophia promised each other to write as often as they could, Hedwig being happy to carry the mail between Harry and Sophia, who she had taken quite a liking. Harry had also given Sophia autorisation to use Hedwig to write to her mother if she wanted to.

Harry had just entered his new dorm-room in Gryffindor Tower. While his new dorm-mates Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean all changed and went to sleep, Harry decided to write his first letter to Sophia.

_01/09/91_

_Dear Sophia_

_I have just arrived into my new dorm-room. Today has been interesting. It all started this morning when we arrived at King's Cross Station. My ticket for the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross Station to Hogsmeade Station stated that the train departed at 11AM on Platform 9 and 3/4. My Uncle knew that and just laughed while leaving me stranded alone. It is a good thing I overheard a magical family talking about Muggles because I was able to follow them and then ask for help. Turns out you have to run toward the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10!_

_I managed to make a few new friends on the train ride to Hogwarts. The first one was Ron Weasley. He is from a pure-blood family (a family composed only of wizards, or at least it technically is although there is probably a lot of muggles and muggleborns in their ancestry as just like Ron pointed out, wizardkind would have died out without them.). The Weasleys all have red-hair and considering it is a family with seven children, six boys and a girl, it make them quite easy to spot on the platform!_

_Ron helped me out a lot learning about the Wizarding World, including the sport of Quidditch. It sounds quite interesting. It is a sport, similar to football but where players play on flying broomsticks (yes they are real apparently) about 30 to 50 feets high. We also managed to test out a lot of wizard sweets (saved you some which should come with this letter, just be sure to eat them alone as they don't really act like normal sweets). I also met two other people I think I could become friends with. A girl named Hermione Granger, a muggleborn witch, a bit bossy but seams like a good person overall, and Neville Longbottom, a boy quite shy but also seams like a good person overall, once he start talking that is._

_When we arrived at Hogwarts, both Ron and I were hungry, even after eating all those sweets. But it was soon forgotten when we saw the castle. Hogwarts is magnificent. If possible I will try to bring you here. I am sure you would enjoy it._

_We were soon brought to the Sorting Ceremony. Hogwarts has four Houses, all have the name of one of the school' founders. House Gryffindor from Godric Gryffindor, House Hufflepuff from Helga Hufflepuff, House Ravenclaw from Rowena Ravenclaw and House Slytherin from Salazar Slytherin. To get sorted you simply have to put a hat and it look at your personality and which House fits you the best. Ron was told by his twin brothers Fred and George that to get sorted they had to fight a troll. In retrospective it is quite hilarious. It took me by surprise that someone from a completely wizarding family would not even know how the sorting was done but I quickly realised that it was probably a tradition in the Wizarding World not to tell children how they get sorted. I mean after all the school has been running for more than 1000 years! Yours truly was sorted into House Gryffindor. It is said to be the House of the braves. It did consider me for House Slytherin however but I had met a boy named Draco Malfoy on the Express and I really did not fancy being in the same House as him and he was sorted into House Slytherin._

_Now I am currently sitting in my dorm-room in Gryffindor Tower writing to you this letter. My dorm-mates, who are fellow Gryffindor First Years boys Ron, Neville, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan are currently all asleep. We only arrived in the dorm-room twenty minutes ago and there is already two of them snoring! Honestly!_

_Anyway that conclude my first letter from Hogwarts. I just want to tell you that I already miss you a lot. Hogwarts is great but it would have been way better if you could have come. I'll miss you and already can't wait for Christmas!_   
_Love,_

_Harry_

Harry sealed the letter with a bit of wax. He was planning on delivering it first thing in the morning but he did not have to wait as he heard Hedwig knocking with her beck at the window.

"Already looking forward to visiting Sophia?" he asked. Hedwig hooted with approval, earning a small chuckle from Harry. "Well you are lucky, I just finished my first letter so it is ready to deliver! Make sure to deliver it to her dorm-room girl, and don't been seen if you can avoid it. After all, muggles are not used to seeing owls deliver letters and it would just cause too many questions." After attaching the letter to her leg, Hedwig flew away toward Sophia.

The next morning, Sophia awoke in her dorm-room only to find Hedwig happily sitting on the perch Mrs. Clarke had bought a few days ago for that exact occasion. Sophia was happy to see that Harry had indeed stayed true to his promise. He had written as soon as possible. She smiled when she read the letter. Harry has had an interesting first day indeed.

"Is that an owl?" asked Lauren Shepherd, Sophia's dorm-mate. Just like Harry had become good friends with Ron Weasley, Sophia had gotten good friends with Lauren, a fellow First Year from her school. Unlike in Harry's case however, there was only two students per dorm-room. Lauren was Sophia's dorm-mate.

Knowing that there was no way she could make a convincing lie to explain Hedwig, Sophia just decided to tell the true. "This is Hedwig. She delivers mail from my boyfriend." she said with a bit of a blush.

Lauren looked at her, then at Hedwig, back at her with wide eyes before asking "Your boyfriend is magical?"

Sophia gaped at her. "H-how?"

Lauren chuckled. "Well do you really expect any muggles to have owls deliver mail for them?"

Sophia laughed. "Not wrong. How do you know about the Wizarding World?"

"I am a squib." Lauren answered. "My mother was a witch but she fled the Wizarding World during the last war. She married my father, a Muggle and they had me. Strangely enough my mother was relieved that I had no magical powers. What about you?"

"My mother is a squib who married a Muggle as well but I did not learn of it because of that. My mother did not think there was any reasons to tell me since it did not affect me at all, at least until two months ago when I started dating my boyfriend. My mother realised that I was dating a wizard and decided to tell me the true. My boyfriend had just learned that same day that he was a wizard. He is so sweat. First thing he did yesterday after he arrived in his dorm is to send me a letter with Hedwig here." she said smiling.

"What House was he sorted in?"

"Gryffindor."

"Ah. The House of the braves!"

Sophia chuckled. "That is what he tell me here." she said pointing at the letter.

"What is his name?" asked Lauren.

"I'm going to tell you but I swear I am not lying. His name is Harry. Harry Potter."

Now it was Lauren's turn to gape at her. "You're joking! You are actually dating Harry Potter?"

"Yep!" Sophia said proudly. "It happened on the day of his birthday. His relatives had been trying to keep him from opening his Hogwarts letter. Let's just say that they make themselves very persistant at Hogwarts if they want." she said laughing.  
"What did they do?" Lauren asked, interested in a good story.

"Well at first they sent two letters, then six. At that point his Uncle nailed the mail slot so they could not receive any letters so they just sent them in a dozen-eggs box via the milkman." Lauren laughed out loud just like Sophia had done when Harry had told her the story. "I think they lost patience after that because they dropped a mail-bomb in their fireplace. I think there was about fifty letters flying around the living room! Saw it myself!" she said, also laughing.

"What after that?" asked Lauren.

"After that his Uncle lost it and drove around the country trying to evade the wizards."

"Like that would ever work." said Lauren, rolling her eyes.

"At the end of the day, they ended up in an hotel where the owner received about a hundred letters addressed to Harry! Then the next day they hid in a shack on a small island in the sea."

"Really? Damn his Uncle really went far to avoid having him going to Hogwarts. Why was he doing that?"

"From what I know, his family hate magic. They hated his parents and they never treated him well when they were raising him." she said sadly. "That night, Hagrid from Hogwarts arrived and explained to him that he was a wizard and his story. They went to Diagon Alley that morning and when he came back home that afternoon, we met up again. We both realised how much we missed each other during theses few days and we just sort of kissed right then and there."

"Aww."

"Shush. Harry told me that he wanted to ask me to be his girlfriend but wanted to tell me what he had learned first before allowing me to make a decision just to be sure I would not regret it."

"No surprise he was sorted into Gryffindor then."

"Anyway he explained to me what he had learned and when he told me that magic was real I had a hard time believing him. I knew he was not trying to lie to me in any way but it was still hard to accept until my mother, who had entered the room without any of us noticing, just told me right then and there that magic was real and then told me her story. After that he told me we would not be able to see each other from most of the year because he would be at Hogwarts and then asked me out. I obviously said yes." she added with a smile.

Lauren smiled as well. "You love each other, right?"

"Yes. I know without a doubt. It should be weird that two eleven-years-old love each other like that, especially when they only have known each other for two months but that is how it is for us."

"Maybe you are soul-mates. I think my mother said they were real once but it was very rare to have one. I would explain why you work so well together even after knowing each other for two months."

Sophia looked at the clock and realised it was near breakfast time. "We should dress-up and go eat breakfast." Turning to Hedwig, she added. "Thank you for the letter Hedwig, I will send the reply tonight so you can rest if you want." Hedwig hooted in appreciation and tucked her head under her wing.

"Smart owl."

"She is."

That evening, Sophia wrote her first letter from her school and gave it to Hedwig. "Fly safe." she said before letting her out via the window.  
The next morning, in the Great Hall, Harry had just started his breakfast and was talking to Ron, Hermione and Neville when the mail arrived. Harry smiled when he saw Hedwig gliding to him with a letter. "Thank you Hedwig." he said once he detached Sophia's letter from her leg. He gave her his goblet of water and a few bites of bacon before she took off to the owlery.

"Who is the letter from?" asked Ron who was sitting in from of him.

Harry hesitated. As much as he wanted to scream to the world that he loved Sophia, he did not know if it was a good idea considering he was famous.

"If I tell you can you promise to keep it a secret?" he asked to his three new friends. All three nodded so Harry answered. "The letter is from Sophia. She is my girlfriend."

The boys all smiled in approval. "You are dating?" asked Neville.

"Yeah. So?"

"Nothing. It's just that it is pretty rare for someone of our age to be dating."

Harry smiled. "I know, but it just work between us and it make me bloody happy."

"Is she a muggle?" asked Hermione.

Harry nodded. "Yes but she already know of the Wizarding World. Her mother is a squib."

"Congratulations then." she said with a smile.

Harry opened the letter.

_02/09/91_

_Dear Harry,_

_I can't say that my first day was anywhere near as exciting as yours. We simply drove to the school, they showed us around the school and our dorms and then it was diner and we went to bed._

_Anyway, Hedwig's presence yesterday in my dorm-room revealed something for me. My dorm-mate and new best friend (if we don't count you) Lauren saw Hedwig and quickly realised that it was someone magical sending me letters. Turns out she is a squib just like Mum! Squibs are apparently very rare and I happen to be best friends and dorm-mates with one. At least it saved me from answering questions. Hedwig looked extremely happy this morning when she saw me. I think she love me more than you!_

_Lauren and I talked about the magical world. She was quite surprised when she learned that my boyfriend was you!_

_I miss you too, I also can't wait for the Christmas Holidays!_

_With Love,_

_Sophia._

And so Harry and Sophia continued to send each other letters almost every day. Hedwig had a lot of fun visiting Sophia as often as she could. Most letters were about day to day life but from time to time important letters were sent. Mostly from Harry with all the adventures he had.

_07/09/91_

_Dear Sophia,_

_Hogwarts is great. But it was also overwhelming in the first week. Hogwarts is a huge castle and the classrooms are all around the castle for some reasons. On my first day of classes, Ron and I got lost and almost entered the forbidden Third Floor corridor. If it wasn't for Professor Quirrell we would have been in a lot of trouble._

_Most classes are great, and so are the teachers. I like the Transfigurations and Charms classes the most at the moment._

_Anyway, we had Potions earlier. It was one of the subjects I anticipated the most. The class was sadly a disappointment. The teacher, Professor Snape, is a git. Imagine your worse teacher and multiply it by then. That is Professor Snape for you. It was obvious from the moment I entered the classroom that Snape hate me. I don't know why yet but there seems to be a reason. I asked Hagrid about it, he denied it but it felt like he was holding something back._

_I also learn while at Hagrid that Gringotts, the wizarding bank, had been broken into the same day Hagrid and I were there. Hagrid had emptied a vault where a small package sited. I have a feeling that was what the robbers were after._

_I can't wait for the next weekend, we have flying lessons on broomsticks!_

_Missing you,_

_Harry._

After reading the letter, Sophia sent her own with Hedwig's help.

_08/09/91_

_Dear Harry,_

_I really envy you I must say. Hogwarts sounds fascinating! I wish I was allowed to come as well but I am not magical. Shame._   
_In other news, my first week was interesting. Similar to yours, I also got lost many times but at least it was easy to find your way back, the school is not very big after all!_

_I am happy to have a friend to who I can talk about the magical world. Obviously it does not come up in our conversations often as we aren't magical but at least I don't feel like I am keeping a big secret from everyone._

_I think I have my own Professor Snape here as well. It is our Sciences teacher. He knows his subject but he always look like he is annoyed that he has to teach and he is not very polite to students. At least, he does not look like he has targeted someone like Snape did to you._

_Hagrid was lucky that he found you on your birthday then! Imagine if he had arrive one day later. Whatever the package is, it would have been lost._

_Missing you as well,_

_Sophia._

_15/09/91_

_Dear Sophia,_

_It is currently around 2AM. I did something stupid._

_Yesterday, we had our first flying lesson. Draco Malfoy, that arrogant boy from the Express that was sorted into Slytherin, stole Neville's Remembrall (a ball that turn red if you have forgotten something) after Neville crashed on his first flight. Madam Hooch, the flight instructor, had taken Neville to the Hospital Wing and Malfoy decided to steal the Remembrall. When I asked him to give it back, he went into the air and I followed him. When he realised that I had no problems following him (turns out I am a natural), he decided to throw the ball as far as he could. I managed to catch it just before it hit the ground. Professor McGonagall witnessed all that and ordered me to follow her. I must admit that at that moment I though I was going to be expelled._   
_How wrong was I._

_Instead, Professor McGonagall decided to put me as Seeker for the Gryffindor Lions! (House Gryffindor' Quidditch team.) Basically, the goal of the Seeker is to catch the Golden Snitch, a golden ball the size of a Golf Ball. The thing is tiny and very fast so it is hard to spot and catch. When you do, the game end and whoever catch the Snitch get 150 points for his or her team._

_Malfoy didn't like that I was not expelled (The fact that I was able to join the Lions is kept secret for the moment) and started teasing us at diner. The tension grew and it ended up with Malfoy challenging me to a wizard's duel in the Trophy Room, in the middle of the night. Ron accepted on my behalf before I could even say anything._

_Ron and I sneaked out during the night. We were followed by Hermione who tried to dissuade us but was accidentally locked-out of Gryffindor Tower when the Fat Lady left her painting after we exited. Neville also followed us because he was stuck outside the Tower since he forgot the password and did not want to wait alone in the middle of the night. When we arrived in the Trophy Room, we quickly realised it was a trap (how I didn't see that from the beginning I have no idea) and we had to flee from Filch the caretaker and his cat Mrs Norris. We ran away and accidentally ended up in the forbidden corridor on the Third Floor._

_There is a bloody three-headed dog there! It was huge and obviously we ran back were we came from. I have no idea why a big three-headed dog is doing in a school but Hermione told us that it was standing on a trapdoor. I have a feeling the small package Hagrid took out from Gringotts is garded here._

_We have just come back into the Tower. Ron is already asleep somehow but neither Neville nor myself are able to go to sleep just yet so I decided to write you a letter now. Neville say 'Hi' by the way._

_With Love,_

_Harry._

When she read the letter, Sophia had no idea whether to laugh or be angry at Harry. It sure sounded like an interesting adventure but he had put himself in danger recklessly.

_17/09/91_

_Dear Harry,_

_I have no idea what to say. I feel like I should be angry at you for putting yourself in danger like that but I also want to laugh. Please be careful next time. I want to be with you, I want to see you again, hug you again and kiss you again and I can't do that if you get eaten by a three-headed dog. Anyway seems like Hogwarts is indeed interesting. Does every student spend their school year doing things like that?_

_Here it is business as usual, unlike you I don't have dangerous monsters roaming around the school. *wink*_

_Congratulations on making the Quidditch team. It is a weird punishment now that I think of it. I wish I could see one of your matches. It sure sounds interesting to watch!_

_Say 'Hi' to your friends for me._

_Sophia._

_01/11/91_

_Dear Sophia_

_I can't believe it has already been two months since the last time we saw each other. Still a month and a half to wait until the Christmas Holidays so we are at least past the middle-point._

_Yesterday was Halloween and also the 10th year Anniversary of Voldemort's defeat. In short, my parents were killed 10 years ago._   
_I did not feel great that day. It did not help that in Charms Class, Ron made Hermione cry and she hid in the bathrooms for most of the day, even missing a class, something very un-Hermione-like._

_Like every Halloween at Hogwarts, the school celebrate the day with a feast at diner. It had barely started that Professor Quirrell started running in yelling that there was a troll in the dungeons! Headmaster Dumbledore immediately ordered students to go back to their common rooms (not very brilliant in retrospect as the Slytherin Common Room is somewhere in the dungeons). Realising that Hermione was still hiding in the bathrooms, Ron and I went running where she was hoping to alert to the troll's presence in the castle and bring her back to the Tower but when we arrived near the bathroom, the troll was there! We saw it enter a room and thinking it was an unused classroom or something we locked the door. It is only when we heard a screen coming from inside that we realised that we had just locked up the troll in the girl's bathroom where Hermione was hiding!_

_Not caring about the fact we are boys, we entered the room and distracted the troll as much as possible so that Hermione had time to escape but she was too scared to be able to move. Ron had a stroke of genius and managed to levitate the troll's cub and knocked it out with it. We were found not long after by a few teachers, including Professor McGonagall. She was not happy and started to scold us until Hermione interjected and took the blame telling Professor McGonagall that she had come to the troll thinking she could beat it alone! It is the first time I heard Hermione lie to a teacher and it also avoided us what would probably have been detention. Hermione became good friends with Ron and I that night. After all, there are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot troll is one of them, right?_

_It certainly was a weird anniversary of my parent's death._

_With Love,_

_Harry._

Sophia sighed. At that point she was not even surprised about what happened yet again at Hogwarts.

"Let me guess, he did something brave and noble but also incredibly reckless?" asked Lauren who was sitting on her bed, reading.

Sophia snorted. "Yep. At least this time it was for a good reason. He saved one of his friend from a troll that was wandering around the school." she said before starting to write her next letter.

_17/11/91_

_Dear Sophia,_

_Today was the first Quidditch Match of the season and we won!_ _I found the Golden Snitch pretty early on but I was pushed out of the way by the Slytherin Snakes Captain which earned him a penalty and I lost sight of the Snitch. Later on my broom was cursed by one of the teachers. We suspect it was jinxed by Professor Snape but Hagrid completely deny that Snape would do that. Hermione managed to lit a small fire on Snape's cloak which distracted him long enough for me to be able to catch the Snitch... with my mouth. I was not planning on doing my first catch like that but it worked. We shared our doubts about Snape, we figured out that he had probably put the troll in the school as a diversion for him to go to the third floor corridor and try to steal whatever is hidden. Hagrid accidently gave us a clue when he said that we should stop looking at it since it was something strictly between Albus Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel. We also learned that the three-headed dog is owned by Hagrid. He named it 'Fluffy'._ _Honestly!_

_One more month before we see each other!_

_Love you,_

_Harry._

Harry looked at Hedwig flying away from Hogwarts with Harry latest letter for Sophia. There was only a month left before they could see each other again. Harry missed her terribly and couldn't wait to kiss her again.


	5. Christmas and the Mirror of Erised

Harry had just finished the last Transfiguration class of the term. Harry had put his stuff in his bag and was about to exit the classroom with his friends to go to diner until Professor McGonagall spoke up.

"Class, before you go, I want anyone who is planning to spend their Christmas Holidays outside of the castle to come sign your name on the list here." Both Hermione and Harry turned around and came back to put their name on the list.

To Professor McGonagall's surprise, Harry was the first one to come sign-up his name. To her knowledge, Harry's home life was not an happy one and she did not expect Harry to go back there for Christmas, especially not looking so happy about it.

"You are leaving for the Holidays?" asked Hermione once they were out of the classroom and back with Ron. "I thought you did not like to be at your relatives."

"I don't, hence why I am not going there. I am going to Sophia's." he said with a grin.

"Ah. Missing her?" she asked teasingly.

"Of course I do! We barely had a month together before we both went to different schools. We have both been waiting for this since the school year started. What about you Ron?"

"Usually our family come back home for Christmas but this year my parents went with Ginny to Romania so I will stay here with my older brothers."

"Well I hope Fred and George won't be too hard on you!" said Harry with a chuckle.

Once back from diner, Harry found Hedwig waiting for him in his dorm-room, letter attached to her leg.

Harry,

Sophia and I will be waiting for you tomorrow at King's Cross Station on Platform 9 and 3/4 where we will go back home. You are invited to stay with us for all of the Holidays so you won't have to see your relatives if you do not wish to.

Have a good day,

Mrs. Clarke.

"Thank you Hedwig." he said before giving her a few owl treats. "You can go back to Sophia if you wish. I will see you there tomorrow afternoon." Hedwig hooted before flying out of the window. There was one thing left to do before leaving: packing the trunk.

* * *

"Harry calm down!" said Hermione, annoyed. The Hogwarts Express had almost arrived to London and Harry was bouncing in excitement. Altrough she was happy for her friend, it annoyed Hermione because she was not able to concentrate on her book.

"I'm trying Hermione!"

"No you aren't! Just sit, you won't make the train go faster by jumping in it."

Harry sat down but before he could say something, a voice in the train announced that they would arrive in five minutes. Harry squeaked and jumped back up. Hermione sighed and closed her book. It was really weird to see your normally reserved friend jumping around in excitement and squeaking.

Harry took his trunk and went waiting at one of the doors where you could embark or disembark the train. Hermione followed him slowly. The moment the door opened, Harry jumped on the platform and looked around.

"HARRY!" heard Hermione from somewhere on the platform. She saw Harry's face lit up and saw him run toward a girl of their age with wavy dark brown hair, and eyes that looked a lot like Harry's but darker.

Sophia had been waiting impatiently on the platform until a magnificent scarlet train arrived. When she looked as the doors opened, she realised that the first person that exited was Harry. "HARRY!" she shouted. They looked at each other in the eyes before running toward each other. Harry took her in his arms and kissed her. Harry felt Sophia's tongue on his lips and opened his mouth, granting her entrance. It was a passionate kiss that burned their insides, one that left them both panting at the end.

"Bloody hell Harry." she said, getting her breath back. Harry only nodded in agreement.

"Language." said a girl with brown bushy hair, smiling.

Harry snorted. "Sophia, this is Hermione Granger, one of my best friends at Hogwarts. Hermione, this is Sophia Clarke, my best friend and girlfriend.

"Nice to meet you Sophia. You have no idea how many times Harry talked about you." Harry blushed at that.

"Nice to meet you too as well Hermione. I'm glad there is at least someone intelligent watching over this dunderhead." said Sophia with a chuckle, pointing at Harry.

"Oi!" said Harry, pretending to be outraged. Both girls burst out laughing. "My parents are looking for me so Happy Holidays Harry, Sophia. Behave you two!" she said with a laugh, leaving both of them blushing.

"Are you ready kids?" said Mrs. Clarke when they rejoined her, hands in hands. They nodded. Let's go then. We are going home!

The whole car ride, Harry and Sophia, were sitting at the back talking and glancing at each other, often kissing, sometime passionately. Mrs. Clarke did not say anything. She did think it was a bit weird that two kids of their ages were already so passionate toward each other but she could also feel that they were deeply in love. And it made her daughter completely happy.

Harry felt weird to be back at Privet Drive but never approaching #4, the residence of the Dursleys. He was happy to stay at the Clarke's however. "Welcome Home Harry." said Mrs. Clarke when they pulled in the driveway of #12.

"We prepared a room for you, it is the first one on the right, upstairs." said Mrs. Clarke when they entered the house. Harry nodded in understanding. Since all houses on Privet Drive were the same, Harry knew exactly where his room was. Its counterpart at #4 was the Guest Room where Marge Dursley spent the night when she was there.  
"Thank you for inviting me for Christmas Mrs. Clarke." said Harry.

"No problem Harry." she answered, giving him a motherly hug.

Harry put his trunk under his bed before exiting the room and meeting Sophia in the hallway.

"Is the room alright for you?" she asked nervously.

"Of course it is!" he said with a grin. "It is way better than mine at home."

"Let's go in mine!" Sophia said. "I missed you and I want to snog you!" she said before taking his hand and dragging him in. An hour later, they both exited Sophia's bedroom all flustered. Mrs. Clarke had just called them for diner.

The next morning, Harry went to Diagon Alley to do his Christmas shopping. Mrs. Clarke told him that he could travel wherever he wanted with the Knight Bus and told him how to call it. Although he was glad to have a way to quickly go to Diagon Alley, Harry preferred by far any other method of transport than the Knight Bus.

On the morning of Christmas, Harry was woken up by someone jumping on his bed.

"It's Christmas Harry wake up!" said Sophia, excited.

"Morning beautiful." he said before grabbing her legs and making her fall on the bed which made her shriek in laughter.

"Happy Christmas Sophia." he said softly before kissing her.

"Happy Christmas Harry." responded Sophia before kissing him as well. She then pushed him out of the bed, making him land hard on his bum and ran downstairs, laughing.

"Merlin I love that girl." he said to nobody.

Five minutes later, both kids were joined by Mrs. Clarke and opened their presents. Harry gave Sophia a copy of Hogwarts: A History because she was interested in the history of Hogwarts and a box of Chocolate Frogs since she had indicated in one of their first letters that she wanted to collect the cards. Sophia gave him a framed picture of the two of them that Mrs. Clarke took in the last few days of the summer.

They opened the rest of their presents and, in Harry's case, included a home made sweater from Mrs. Weasley, Ron's mother and a fifty pence from the Dursleys. At the end, there was only one parcel left for Harry.

"I wonder who sent it." he said. The package was very light.

"Well there is only one way to find out."

Harry unwrapped the gift and was left with something fluid and silvery. "It look like some sort of cloak." he said.

"Well put it on then." said Sophia. "It does look a bit bizarre but maybe once you put it, it does something."

It did. When Harry put the cloak on, both Sophia and Mrs. Clarke gasped.

"What is it?" he asked with worry.

"Harry! You are invisible!" said Sophia, shocked.

"What?" he said before looking at a mirror. "Bloody hell!" he said out loud. His reflection was missing. He was indeed invisible! He removed the cloak in front of the Clarkes which made them jump. "It's brilliant but why would someone send me that?" he asked himself.

"There is a note here. It say:

_Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you._

_Use it well._

_A Very Merry Christmas to you."_

Harry froze, gobsmacked. This... cloak had belonged to his father! Sophia, sensing the turmoil of emotions going in Harry, went up on her feets and gave Harry a hug.

"Thanks Sophia." he said with a small smile.

That evening, the small family had a Christmas diner. Harry never had a Christmas diner like that as all the previous years at the Dursley he had been forced to help make diner and then locked up in his cupboard while the Dursleys ate.

Harry had a lot of fun at the Clarkes until he had to go back to Hogwarts two days before the start of the next term.

On his first night back, Harry decided to make a solo expedition with his invisibility cloak, hopping to be able to find any information about Nicholas Flamel in the Hogwarts Library's Restricted Section. Surprised by one of the books which started yelling, Harry quickly ran back in direction of Gryffindor Tower.

Albus Dumbledore was walking around the corridor, invisible. The ancient Headmaster had been on the lookout in case Professor Quirrell tried something in the middle of the night. Thanks to his charmed glasses, Dumbledore was able to notice someone walking under an invisibility cloak. Since the figure was pretty small, Dumbledore realised that it was Harry Potter under the cloak he had sent to him for Christmas. Wondering why he was walking under it in the middle of the night, the Headmaster followed him around. He saw Harry quickly avoiding Filch and hiding in a random classroom. Except that classroom in particular was host to the Mirror of Erised where it had been put in place until the Headmaster managed to find a way to hide the Philosopher's Stone within the Mirror.

Curious about what Harry would see (although he was pretty sure he knew what it would be), Dumbledore followed the 11-years-old in the classroom. He entered just in time to hear Harry whisper "Mum? Dad?"

Although nobody could see them, Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled more than usual. It wasn't unexpected and Dumbledore was glad that Harry's deepest desire was to have a family. It was a more noble desire than most and truly showed Harry's character to the Professor. What he did not expect was the next thing Harry said:

"Sophia?"

It was a good thing that he had put silencing charms on himself or he would have revealed his position with the reaction he had. He expected Harry to see his parents, but he did not think for a single moment that he would see another girl in the mirror. Dumbledore knew that it was not someone from his family as he was the only Potter left since he was a year old. It meant that whoever it was, Harry was probably had deep love for that girl.

Knowing that the Mirror would be more powerful on Harry than most people, Dumbledore revealed himself. "I see that you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised..."

Professor Dumbledore explained to Harry the proprieties of the Mirror and its dangers. He then told him that the Mirror would be moved to another location and that he should not try to seek it any longer. Before he left, Harry asked a question. "What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

Preferring to keep the fact that he was seeing his family reunited for himself, he answered: "I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

Harry stared.

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books. Now let me ask something." he said. "I am aware that you see your family, but I was wondering who that 'Sophia' you mentioned was." he asked with a smile.

Harry blushed. "Sophia is my girlfriend." he answered.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly. "I see you have discovered the power of Love. Powerful magic, Love is. Never forget that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry nodded and left. Indeed, _Love is truly powerful_ , he thought to himself.


	6. The Philosopher's Stone

Harry had been back at Hogwarts for a few months now. Harry and Sophia continued to exchange letters during the year to the delight of a certain snowy old. After collecting Albus Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card, Sophia quickly wrote to Harry telling him that Nicolas Flamel was mentionned on the Headmaster's card, reminding Hermione that she had read the name on a book she picked at the library. The trio and Sophia found out that the package that Hagrid withdrew from Gringotts on Harry's birthday is the Philosopher's Stone and is currently hidden under the trapdoor guarded by Fluffy.

On his second Quidditch match, Harry broke the record of the shortest Golden Snitch catch at Hogwarts. While House Gryffindor was celebrating the victory of the Lions, Harry noticed Professor Snape go in the Forbidden Forest and talk to Professor Quirrell. The trio started supporting the Professor more during the following months, hoping that it would help him resist Snape.

Harry also relayed to Sophia (and by extension, Lauren) that Hagrid won a dragon egg in a card game and tried to raise it before the trio was able to convince him that it would be better for the dragon not to be at Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione gave Norbert to Charlie's friends so that they could bring him to the reserve he works at but they were caught coming back because they forgot the cloak on top of the Astronomy Tower in their excitement. They both received detentions alongside Draco Malfoy who tried to catch them in the act and Neville who tried to warn them about Malfoy.

Harry, Hermione, Neville and Malfoy were sent to the Forbidden Forest for their detention. During their detention, Harry and Malfoy followed a trail of unicorn blood until they found its body and something drinking its blood from its neck. Malfoy and Fang, Hagrid's dog, ran away but Harry was unable due to the pain he had in his scar. He was saved by the centaur Firenze who told him the properties of unicorn blood and what resulted when you drink it. Harry realised that the thing that was drinking the blood was Voldemort. Sophia panicked when she read that Harry had an encounter with Voldemort and told him to stay safe.

* * *

Harry woke up in the Hospital Wing. He noticed that Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his bedside. All he could remember was that he did something stupid and put his life in danger. Again.

Harry groaned. "Sophia is going to kill me." he said. Professor Dumbledore chuckled.

"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore.

Harry stared at him. Suddenly, everything came back. Harry, Ron and Hermione went through the trapdoor, hoping to stop Professor Snape from getting the Philosopher's Stone but discovered that it had been Quirrell all along that was after it. He remembered that Quirrell had Voldemort sticking at the back of his head.

"Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick..."

"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."

"Then who does? Sir, I..."

"Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."

At that moment, Harry noticed a table pilled with various sweets. "Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. Dumbledore quickly explained the situation to Harry. The Headmaster told him that he had been out for three days! Harry's statement that Sophia would be angry came back to him. She always asked him to be careful and to be safe and he had went head first into a dangerous situation.

Dumbledore explained that he had arrived just in time to save Harry's life and that the Philosopher's Stone had been destroyed. Harry was shocked and worried about the Flamels but Professor Dumbledore told him that they had kept enough Elixir of Life to be able to set their affairs in order before they passed away to the next great adventure.

Harry was also told more about Voldemort and learned that Harry had only set back his quest to regain a body. Harry asked Dumbledore why Voldemort had tried to kill him all those years ago. Dumbledore refused to answer, telling him that it was too soon for him to learn. Dumbledore had doubts about whether it was a good idea to keep it from him for another few years but he did not share those doubts.

To Dumbledore's surprise, Harry also asked what was Voldemort's real name. Harry doubted that 'Voldemort' was his real name and Dumbledore told him that he was born 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' and showed him that his name was an anagram for 'I am Lord Voldemort' by writing the name in the air and rearranging the letters.

Finally, Harry heard the real reason why Professor Snape hated him so much. Professor Snape was an old school rival to Harry's father and he had a life debt toward James Potter because he had saved his life.

A few hours later, Harry sat in his bed in the Hospital Wing and wrote the last letter he would send to Sophia before leaving Hogwarts, detailing everything that had happened and what he had learned. He also told her that he would try to see her as much as possible during the summer, as long as his relatives were not too much of a problem. He also asked her to take care of Hedwig as he feared that the Dursleys would lock all his stuff in a cupboard and Hedwig in her cage for the whole summer. He then sent Hedwig off with the letter and went to bed.

* * *

Although Harry had assured her that he had come out fine from his latest adventure, Sophia could not help but worry. She was a bit angry that he had risked his life yet again, yes, but she also knew that had he not done so, Voldemort would probably had gotten the Philosopher's Stone. But until she had physical proof that Harry was fine (which meant until she could take him in her arms), Sophia would continue to worry about Harry.

Harry arrived back at Number #4 Privet Drive on July 1st. True to his prediction, the Dursleys locked-up his school stuff in his old cupboard and immediately set him off to do chores.

The next morning, Harry quickly left before his Aunt and Uncle could give him more work and went straight to Sophia's house. Sophia must have had something similar in mind because they saw each other walking in the direction of the other and both started running. They stopped in front of #7, looking at each other's eyes.

"Sophia..." Harry started but was stopped by a passionate kiss. Sophia then put her head on Harry's shoulder and shed tears of relief.

"Harry James Potter don't ever do that to me again! Your last letter scared me!" she said, a small tone of anger evident in her voice.

"I'm sorry Sophia." he said, holding her in his arms strongly. The couple stayed in each other's embrace for a few minutes before Sophia suggested that they go to the park. Harry grinned. They had not gone there since last summer and missed all the fun they had there.

Harry came to Sophia's house for lunch and spent time catching up with Sophia and Mrs. Clarke. Harry and Sophia had sent many, many letters to each other during the school year but there was still many things that they had not mentioned in them.

When Harry came back home that evening, he was immediately accosted by an angry Uncle Vernon. "Where have you been boy?" he shouted.

"I was outside." he answered simply. "I don't know why it would make you angry, it is not like you want me in the house either way." he said. Had it been two years ago, Harry would have felt sadness that his only family would treat him like that but he just did not care anymore. Harry had found love about a year ago and found true friends when he started Hogwarts. He just did not care about how his relatives thought of him anymore.

"Well unless you plan on leaving the house forever you better do your chores. We won't have an ungrateful boy living for free under our roof!"

Harry almost snorted. They were getting more for his presence like he did. They used him as their own personal servant for free and never gave him anything. Had they hired someone to do all the free work they forced him to do they would have spent thousands of pounds every year. The only expense he imagined he could have is the food he ate and even then they barely gave him enough to survive.

"Yes Uncle Vernon." he answered with experation.

"Don't take that tone with me boy!"

"Yes Uncle Vernon."

"Now go to your room. No diner for you since you did not do your work today." he said.

Harry didn't mind. He already ate plenty at the Clarkes. He went to his room without further comments. The room felt empty without Hedwig's presence but he knew she was safer at Sophia's than here.


	7. Visit from Dobby the House-Elf

Their first month back at Privet Drive did not go as smoothly as they wished. Harry was not able to spend a lot of time outside of #4 Privet Drive as his relatives always gave him a lot of work to do. Harry and Sophia had to go back to trying to keep their relationship secret from the Dursleys as to not give them more reasons to keep him inside. Sophia had started to hide in the backyard again, talking quietly to Harry when he was doing in the garden. For the few times Harry was able to leave, he would spend it almost exclusively at Sophia's or at the park, and always in her company.

Another thing that was bothering Harry was that he never received any letters from his friends. He had also sent multiple ones with Hedwig but she always came back empty-handed. Harry and Sophia realised that Harry's friends would have sent them letters and so something must have been interfering, possibly intercepting them.  
Mrs. Clarke also announced to the couple that she had contacted the Ministry of Magic and connected her fireplace to the Floo Network.

On Harry's birthday, Uncle Vernon announced that they would host a diner where they invited a rich builder and his wife. Uncle Vernon hoped that he would receive a huge order for his company. Harry spent most of the day at the Clarkes but he had to go back before the Masons, Uncle Vernon's guests, arrived. Harry went to his room as quietly as possible. After all, he was told that morning that he would have to pretend that he did not exist.

Harry entered his room and he noticed someone was already sitting on his bed. "Er, Hello?" he said nervously.

"Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir … Such an honor it is. …"

"Th-thank you." he said. "What... Who are you?"

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.

"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"

"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir … it is difficult, sir … Dobby wonders where to begin. …"

"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed. He wasn't expecting the house-elf to burst into tears. "Shhh!" said Harry, realising that Dobby was making a lot of noise.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered when Dobby had calmed down enough. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard, like an equal..."

"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.

Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

Harry quickly put at stop to Dobby's antics. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

Dobby told Harry that he had to punish himself because he spoke ill of his family. Harry learned that House-Elfs were born to serve a family forever. Against his family's wishes, Dobby had come to Privet Drive to warn Harry about a terrible event that would take place at Hogwarts the following school year. During his explanations, Dobby had kept praising Harry, calling him a great wizard. Harry thought it was a load of rubbish and that he was just average. They were interrupted by Uncle Vernon once after Dobby had tried to punish himself with a lamp and made a lot of noise. Harry then heard Dobby mention that his friends did not even write to him and suddenly everything clicked into place.

"Wait a minute. Have you been stopping my letters?" he hissed.

"Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out the Hermione's, Ron's and Hagrid's writing on various letters in the stack.

"Harry Potter mustn't be angry. … Dobby hoped … if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him … Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir. …"

Harry wasn't listening. He made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach.

"Give me my friends' letters!" he said angrily.

"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly. Before Harry could react, Dobby ran downstairs. Realising that Dobby would do something to keep Harry out of Hogwarts, Harry followed him. He arrived too late as he saw Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding floating up near the ceiling. Dobby was on top of a cupboard in a corner of the room. Dobby let the pudding drop on the ground. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. At the same time, Dobby vanished.

Uncle Vernon, who had seen the whole thing, well excluding Dobby himself, blamed Harry for everything. If it wasn't enough, Harry received a letter from the Ministry of Magic giving him his first warning for underage magic and warning him that another offence would result in him being expelled from Hogwarts. Learning that Harry was unable to do any magic outside of Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon realised that there was nothing stopping him into locking Harry in his room for the rest of the summer.

* * *

The next morning, Sophia walked toward #4 Privet Drive, hoping to be able to take him to the park. When she arrived, she noticed Harry's uncle on a ladder, in front of Harry's bedroom window, bolting metal bars around it. Sophia felt a small heartbreak at Harry's treatment at the Dursleys and wondered what happened that caused the Dursleys to react that way. Sophia quickly hid in the backyard, hoping to see Harry come out and do chores. Sophia waited for a few hours before realising that Harry was not coming out. With Vernon installing bars on his window, she realised that they had probably locked him up in his room. Since the bars had been installed, Vernon went back inside, leaving Sophia alone in her hiding place. She quickly made for the window and threw a small rock at it, hoping to get Harry's attention.

Harry was lying down on his bed. He had been wondering about what he would do now that he was locked in his room. All of his stuff was in the cupboard under the stairs so he had nothing to distract himself with. He also knew that if the Dursleys had their way, he would not see either Sophia nor his Hogwarts friends for a long, long time.  
Suddenly, something hit his window. He didn't know what happened so he went back into thinking. Another thing hit the window. Harry realised that someone, probably Sophia, was trying to get his attention and he looked outside. He saw Sophia wave at him. She was smiling but she had a frown on her face. "What happened?" she mouthed to him.

"House-Elf... Intercepting letters... Did magic... Blamed me... I am locked-up..." he mouthed back slowly, hoping she could read him.

Sophia nodded, telling him that she understood his message.

"Send letter... Ron Weasley..." he mouthed again. Sophia nodded again and formed the shape of a heart with her hands. Harry did the same and Sophia left.

Sophia quickly ran back to her house. Mrs. Clarke noticed her and asked her what happened.

"Harry's family locked him up in his room. He said that a House-Elf intercepted his letters and did magic and blamed Harry for it. He asked me to send a letter to his friend Ron Weasley." she said before going to her room.

"Hey girl." she said while taking a piece of paper and started writing. "I need you to send a letter quickly to Ron Weasley." She gave the letter to Hedwig and let fly away to the Weasleys.

* * *

That evening, Ron had been playing chess in The Burrow's living room with the twins when he noticed a snowy owl approach the house.

"Hedwig?" he asked with surprise. He had sent many letters to Harry during the last month but he had never received an answer. What added to his surprise was that it was not Harry's handwriting on the letter, it was more feminine. He quickly read the letter.

_Ron Weasley,_

_You might have heard of me. My name is Sophia Clarke and I am Harry's girlfriend. I need your help to save Harry. Yesterday, a House-Elf showed up at Harry's house and Harry learned that the House-Elf had been intercepting any letters to and from Harry during the last month. The House-Elf also did magic in the house and his relatives put the blame on him, locking him in his own room. They also installed bars on his window._

_Harry told me to send a letter to you. I need someone's help to break him out of there because if the Dursleys have their way, they won't allow him out of the room until the end of the summer, maybe even after that which would result in him missing a year at Hogwarts._

_I hope you can help Harry,_

_Sophia Clarke._

"Fred? George? I need your help..." he said before giving them the letter. The twins began to read it and grinned evilly. A plan started to form in their mind...


	8. Weasleys to the Rescue

Harry quickly went to bed that evening. He knew that Hedwig would only take a few hours to deliver Sophia's letter and hoped that the Weasleys would show up early in the morning to rescue him. It took him a long time to fall asleep as he was worried about what would happen if they failed to take him with them or just didn't come.

About an hour after waking up, was having a weird dream. In it, Harry dreamed that he was on a show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE WIZARD attached to the cage. Harry heard people laugh at him and rattled the bars of his cage.

"Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone … cut it out … I'm trying to sleep…" He opened his eyes. To his shock, Ron Weasley was standing outside the window. Harry's bedroom was upstairs.

"Ron! You received Sophia's letter?" he asked.

"Yep!" he said with a cheerful tone. "The twins and I came here to rescue you!"

Harry approached the window and his mouth fell open. Ron and the twins were currently sitting in a turquoise Ford Anglia which was parked midair! Seeing Harry's amazement, the twins snickered.

"Now," started Ron. "Tie that rope around the bars." he said, throwing it to Harry.

"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car. "Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back."

Quickly enough, the twins at removed the bars from the window and silently dragged them into the car's trunk. The Dursleys did not wake up.

"Take the wheel Oh Georgie boy!" said Fred. "I'll go help Harry load his stuff in the car." he said before he entered the bedroom. "Where are your things?" he asked, noticing that the bedroom was empty.

"My Uncle locked it up in the cupboard under the stairs." he said.

"Alright then I'll get them for you, take anything you need from your room and hand it over to Ron." he whispered.

Harry nodded and whispered back: "Watch out for the bottom stair, it creaks!" as Fred disappeared onto the dark landing. Fred quickly came back with Harry's trunk which held everything Harry had, excluding his clothes which Harry had grabbed and gave to Ron. Harry climbed onboard with Ron's help and once everyone was seated, they took off in direction of The Burrow.

Later during the night, Uncle Vernon woke up to go to the loo and noticed that Harry's bedroom door was opened. He quickly entered, planning to give a piece of his mind but he saw that Harry was gone. Not only that, but the window was open and the bars were gone.

Uncle Vernon was mad. The freak had escaped during the night and he did not even notice it! He quickly went back to bed grumbling. His mood did not improve during the next few days.

* * *

The Ford Anglia quickly arrived at The Burrow. During the flight, Harry had explained in details what had happened the previous evening. The Weasleys were really curious about why a House-Elf would do that, and why he would act against his master's wishes. Harry did not have an answer for them. He just hoped that the elf wouldn't show up again.

Harry was fascinated by The Burrow. Unlike #4 Privet Drive, it gave a very strong feeling of being 'Home'. It was also full of magic. Just the architecture of the building wouldn't be possible without magic.

"Alright now here is the plan. We all go upstairs very quietly and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Ron can then say 'Hey, look who showed up last night!' and she will be all pleased to see Harry and no one will notice that we used the car." said Fred.

"Okay. Come one Harry, my bedroom is on the top..." he started before his face turned a shade of green.

"Ah!" said Fred.

"Oh dear!" said George.

Harry looked around and noticed that "Oh dear!" was a very angry looking Molly Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them. Harry wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not but it seems as if Harry was completely invisible to her as she had eyes only for her three sons.

"So," she said in an angry whisper. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Sorry Mum, but see, we had to..." started George but he was interrupted.

"Beds empty! No note! Car gone! You could have crashed! I was out of my mind with worry, did you even care? Never seen this, as long as I've lived! You wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy..."

It all seemed to go on for hours for Harry until Mrs. Weasley turned around and looked at Harry. Harry backed away in fear.

"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said in a friendly tone, seemingly not having noticed Harry backing away for an instant. "Come in and have some breakfast." She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her.

Harry, Ron and the twins ate breakfast while the three Weasleys tried to explain to their mother why they had done what they did. They were interrupted when they heard a squeal and a door slamming shut.

"Ginny." said Ron as if it explained everything. Harry looked at them curiously and George answered Harry's untold question. "She has a crush on you, you know? I don't think she know you are already taken." he said with a smile.

"You are dating?" asked Mrs. Weasley, surprised. She did not expect that Harry, a 12-years-old, had a girlfriend.

"Yeah." he said simply. "Since last summer. Speaking of which, can I use your Floo? I want to tell her I am safe."

"Sure, go ahead Harry."

Harry went to the fireplace... and did nothing. The twins snickered.

"Is something wrong Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Uh, well I know what the Floo is but I just realised that I have no idea how to use it." he said, a bit embarrassed.

"It's simple Harry. You just need to take a pinch of power, throw it at the fireplace, say out loud your destination and walk into the fire." said Ron.

Harry nodded and took a pinch of power and threw it in the fire, turning it green. "Number Twelve Privet Drive!" he shouted before walking in it. Harry felt as though he had been sucked down a giant drain. He seemed to be spinning very fast, the roaring in his ears was deafening. He tried to keep his eyes open but the whirl of green flames made him feel sick. Harry saw the blurred stream of two fireplaces and before he could react, he was sent through one and landed... right in Mrs. Figg's living room.

Dizzy and bruised, covered in soot, he got gingerly to his feet and looked around. He could see all the pictures of cats on the walls. He was interrupted by Mrs. Figg who said "Harry?"

"Sorry Mrs. Figg, I wasn't planning on ..." then Harry realised something. "Hold on." he said. "Why is your fireplace connected to the Floo Network?" he accused.

Mrs. Figg sighed. "Simply because I am a squib."

Harry's eyes widened. "Ah." he said simply.

"So Harry," she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"It was an accident." he defended himself. "I fell in the wrong fireplace, it is my first time using the Floo." he said. "I will just go now." he quickly added. Before she could say anything, Harry grabbed another pinch of Floo Power from the small pot near the fireplace and whispered his destination, preferring to keep it from someone he thought was friendly to the Dursleys, before walking in the fire and crashing down, face first, in the Clarkes' living room, in front of Sophia.

"Hello there." he said with a smile to frozen Sophia.

"Harry!" she said before taking him in her arms. "Good entrance!" she said laughing.

"Not my proudest moment." he said joining her in her laugh.

"So I take it that you were rescued?" she asked once they say on the couch.

"Yep. Thank you for sending a letter to Ron." He then snorted and said "I didn't expect them to do it so soon."

"What do you mean? she asked, confused."

"Well they showed up in the middle of the night and knocked on my window."

"Wait, what?" she said in surprise. "How?"

"Ron and his twin brothers Fred and George arrived in their dad's flying car! They just parked it outside of my window and woke me up." They roared in laugher. "They took down the bars and we got everything I had and put it in the car and we flew away."

"I hope they did not get in too much trouble." she chuckled.

"Well their mother did give them a fair bit of shouting but after that she was happy that I was safe with them." He looked in her eyes and said "I'm free now, we can see each other as much as possible until we start school again." he said with a smile before kissing her softly. She kissed him back passionately and they got lost into each other's arms, feeling all the sensations and the love they had from each other. They did not notice Mrs. Weasley's face popping in the fire. She wanted to tell Harry that he was free to invite Sophia if he wanted and almost interrupted them but she saw them in a passionate embrace. She decided to just end the fire-call without saying a single word. She could always tell him when he came back after all, _And who am I to get in the way of young love?_ she thought to herself.

* * *

Harry came back to The Burrow around lunch time and was met with Mrs. Weasley. He did not like the smile she had on her face.

"So Harry," she started. "Did you spend a good morning?" she said with a knowing smile.

Harry blushed bright red. "I did." he said quietly.

Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "That's what I figured out when I saw both of you in a deep embrase."

"Wha..? How?" he asked.

"I fire-called to tell you that you were free to invite your girlfriend here while you stayed with us but when I saw you I decided not to interrupt." she said with a chuckle.

Saving him from further embarrassment, she said "I am making sandwiches, lunch should be ready anytime soon, can you go tell the boys please? They are outside degnoming the garden." she said, nodding in direction of the back door.

Still red in the face, he left the kitchen and went outside to do what Mrs. Weasley had asked him to do.

When Fred saw him, he said "Hey Harry! Spent a good morning?" Harry covered his face with his hands. The twins and Ron laughed at Harry's reaction. Harry looked at them and said that lunch was ready and quickly ran back inside.

"He's even worse than Ginny was this morning." Ron said to his brothers.

"I would love to meet who is the lucky girl that makes Harry react like that." said George.

"Well Dear Brother of Mine, Mum did say that she wanted to invite her before she tried to call them. It was funny the face she had when she came out of the fireplace looking embarrassed."

"Do you think we will meet her then?" asked Ron.

"Probably but I don't think it will be today. We embarrassed Harry too much for that." said George with a laugh. "I just hope it sadden Ginny too much." he added more quietly.

"Does she knows he already has a girlfriend?" asked Ron.

Fred shook his head. "I don't think she does. We didn't say it in our letters home last year, what about you?"

"Me neither, and Mum just learned about it this morning. Anyway," Ron continued, "I'm hungry, let's go eat." he said before walking in the house."


	9. The Trip to Diagon Alley

Harry was currently pacing in the living room of #12 Privet Drive. Harry was stressed. He had just spent his first week at the Weasleys and spent about half of each day at the Clarkes. Mrs. Weasley had decided to invite the Clarkes to spend the day at The Burrow.

Harry had woken up early that morning and when he went to breakfast, Mrs. Weasley told him that she had invited the Clarkes and that Mrs. Clarke had accepted the invitation and would arrive later in the morning. When he was told that, he quickly went to the fireplace and flooed to Privet Drive. Harry had spent the last half-hour talking to Sophia's about the Weasleys so that she would know what to expect.

Harry's biggest fear that day was that the Weasleys and the Clarkes would not like each other. In a way, he was seeing both families and his and wanted to make sure everything was fine. The persons he was the most worried with was Ron and Ginny. Ron was Harry's best mate and it would hurt him if Ron did not like Sophia and he feared that Ginny would try to avoid him even more and be more embarrassed in his presence once she learned that he was dating someone else. After all, Harry wanted to be friends with Ginny, not make things even more awkward and embarrassing for her.

"Ready when you are Harry." said Mrs. Clarke who had just entered the living room.

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. With a pinch of Floo Powder in his hand, he flooed back to The Burrow and was surprised to see all the Weasleys (minus Bill and Charlie who were out of the country) present in their living room.

"They are coming." he simply said and he got out of the way. Knowing that Sophia was the next in line and that it was her first time taking the Floo, Harry prepared himself to catch her in her arms. A few seconds later, the fire roared green and a 12-years-old girl with wavy dark hair and dark emerald green eyes stepped out of the fireplace and tripped into Harry's arms.

"Well that was better than your first time." she said to Harry before kissing him, making him chuckle. Mrs. Clarke then arrived seemingly without any problems like if she had been using the Floo every day for the past ten years.

"Uh, well Sophia, Mrs. Clarke, may I introduce you to Percy, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Molly and finally Arthur Weasley. Weasleys, this is Florence and Sophia Clarke." said Harry, presenting each family to the other. After a round of greetings from everyone the adults and Percy started talking to each other while the others approached Harry and Sophia. "So, this is the lucky girl that make Harry blush every time she is mentioned?" said Fred smirking while looking at Sophia.

Harry and Sophia looked at each other and proudly said, at the same time, "Yep!"

"Do you play Quidditch?" asked Ron to Sophia, earning him looks of disbelief from everyone else.

"Sophia is a Muggle Ron!" said George, looking at Ron like he had grown a second head.

"Do you play Quidditch, I mean honestly!" said Fred who just shook his head.

"Well can Muggles use broomsticks?" asked Sophia. "I would love to be able to fly if I can."

The twins looked at each other. "I don't think you need magic to be able to use one. After all the brooms are already charmed. You just need to control it. We can go try if you want Sophia."

"Sure, why not." she said with excitation.

"Alright then. Sophia, Harry, Ron, let's go to the paddock!"

"Wait hold on what about Ginny?" asked Harry when he saw the look of disappointment cross her face.  
"What about her?" said Ron.

Harry looked at them in disbelief. "Why aren't you inviting her?" he asked.

"Uh well she never flew before..." said Fred. Even to his own ears it sounded hollow.

Harry snorted at that statement. "You mean to tell me that a member of a fanatical Quidditch family and fan of Quidditch never used a broom before? Like I'll believe that." he said with a laugh. "And if it is the case then why did you never teach her before?" he asked. The three Weasleys looked at each other ashamed while Ginny looked at anything but Harry, blushing and Sophia looked at him, beaming.

"Come Ginny, we can do a 3v3 Quidditch game once you two are confortable in the air." finished Harry before going outside via the backdoor. Sophia smiled at Ginny and indicated her to follow them with her head. The brothers quickly followed behind.

"How did you know I was a fan of Quidditch?" asked Ginny quietly to Harry while they were walking in direction of the paddock.

"You left your bedroom door open once and when I passed in front of it I saw all the Quidditch posters on the wall. It didn't surprise me. Like I said, the Weasleys are Quidditch fanatics."

The twins quickly showed them how to fly. Turns out it was unnecessary. Ginny already had a lot of experience flying since she had been secretly flying since he was six and Sophia was, just like Harry, a complete natural.

Quickly the flying lesson evolved into a Quidditch match. Harry, Sophia and Ginny played against Ron, Fred and George. Ron and Harry played Keepers for their respective teams while the others played Chaser. Harry wasn't as good of a Keeper as Ron but his duo of chasers easily made up for the difference. By the time the game was over, which was won by Harry's team, the adults had joined them on the paddock. Mrs. Clarke and Mrs. Weasley were watching in amazement at the skills of their daughters.  
When they landed, Sophia shouted "It was BRILLIANT!" and quickly embraced Harry in a hug before kissing him passionately. "Glad you liked it." he said after taking back his breath.

The group headed inside to eat lunch and the kids separated into various smaller groups. The twins went to their room to do their things and Sophia and Ginny socialised, leaving Harry and Ron alone to play chess on the kitchen table.

That evening, the whole family and their guests ate a small feast prepared by Mrs. Weasley who received a bit of help from Mrs. Clarke. Once they were full, the Clarkes went back home, but not before Harry gave a goodbye kiss to Sophia.

Once they flooed away, Harry looked at the Weasleys. "So?" he asked nervously.

"We like Sophia." said Fred. "She's brilliant and you both work so well together."

"I like her, she is a good person. It's a shame she can't go to Hogwarts." said Ron. Both Percy and Ginny nodded in approval.

"Well that settles it then!" said Mr. Weasley. "Molly I think we made some new family friends." he said with a smile.

Harry sighed in relief. "Thank you." he said. "I was worried you wouldn't like them. I consider them like my family."

"Ewww." said George. Harry looked at him curiously.

"You are dating your sister?" asked Fred with wide eyes.

"WHAT? NO! I didn't mean it like that!" Harry quickly said before they all started to laugh.

Drained from the days, the Weasley (and the lone Potter) quickly went to bed. Harry smiled in his bed. He was happy of how the day turned out.

* * *

The following day, The Weasleys and Harry prepared themselves for a trip to Diagon Alley. The Clarkes were joining them, mostly for Sophia's sake had she had wanted to visit the location ever since Harry had mentioned it on his 11th Birthday.

At the Leaky Cauldron, they met the Grangers and Sophia was reintroduced to Hermione and they both immediately took a liking to each other. The first stop was Gringotts where Harry and Mrs. Weasley withdrew money from their respective vaults. Harry couldn't help but feel bad for the Weasleys after seeing how empty their vault was. Harry wanted to give them some of his money, knowing they needed it much more than he would but by that point he knew better than to do charity with the Weasleys.

The group separated and Harry, Sophia, Ron and Hermione went together to get some ice cream. Ginny wanted to join them but Mrs. Weasley was against the idea, preferring to keep her in sight. "She act like I'm still a baby!" she said to Sophia before following her mother. The quadruplet talked about various unimportant things before they set off to explore Diagon Alley. Hermione dragged the group into a shop to buy ink and parchment. She was then dragged by the other three to Quality Quidditch Supplies where they looked at all the various brooms and equipment. Harry bought three Quidditch jerseys as gifts, two of the Holyhead Harpies for Sophia and Ginny and one of the Chudley Cannons for Ron. Harry later went back to the previous shop to buy a set of different coloured inks and quills as his gift for Hermione.

They met in Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop Fred, George and their friend Lee Jordan and Harry overheard the twins telling themselves that they could probably come up with better product ideas. They found Percy in the next shop, reading a book about Hogwarts prefects. Harry heard Percy huff while reading the book.

"What is it?" he asked.

Percy looked at him and said "They talk about a prefect here from the 1940s. He was praised for his intelligence but it is written that once he left Hogwarts he worked for a shop in Knockturn Alley and disappeared. He could have become Minister if he wanted. He clearly lacked ambition." said Percy with disapproval.

"What is the bloke's name?" asked Ron who had just rejoined Harry and Sophia with Hermione in tow.

"Tom Riddle."

Harry and Sophia paled. Hermione noticed it. "Harry? Sophia? What is it?"

"Tom Marvolo Riddle." he said.

"Yeah that is his name, why?"

"Percy, Tom Marvolo Riddle is the birth name of Voldemort! His full name is an anagram for 'I am Lord Voldemort'!" said Sophia.

"Bloody hell." said Ron.

"How did you learn that?" asked Hermione. "I don't remember seeing You-Know-Who's real name in any book."

"Professor Dumbledore told me when I was in the Hospital Wing after the whole Stone thing." said Harry. "I told Sophia in a letter I sent after learning all of that."

"So that prefect..." started Percy.

"...Became Lord Voldemort." finished Harry with a sigh. Percy put the book back where he had found it and left the shop, clearly not wanting to think about how horrible a fellow prefect had been.

An hour later, the Weasleys, Clarkes and Grangers all met in front of Flourish and Blotts for the final stop of the day. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were delighted to see that the author Gilderoy Lockhart was signing copies of his new autobiography 'Magical Me'. The boys groaned.

It wasn't long before they were all inside, trying to access all the books they needed for their next year at Hogwarts. Obviously, it couldn't go as smoothly as they wished.  
"It can't be Harry Potter?" Harry closed his eyes. He wanted to leave as quickly as possible as he did not like how crowded the store was but now Lockhart had just put the spotlight on him. Lockhart dived forward and seized Harry's arm and pulled him to the front. To Harry's displeasure, the crowd burst into applause. Harry could see Sophia in the crowd. She was looking at him, trying very hard not to laugh. Harry groaned. His face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting thick smoke over the Weasleys.

"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth. "Together, you and I are worth the front page."

When he finally let go of Harry's hand, Harry could hardly feel his fingers. He tried to sidle back over to the Weasleys, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders and clamped him tightly to his side.

Lockhart told the whole crowd and the press that he was giving Harry his whole book collection for free. Lockhart then announced that he would become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. When he finally managed to extract himself of Lockhart, Harry decided to get rid of the full book collection that Lockhart gave him and gave it to Ginny. He would hit two birds with one stone. He would get rid of the set and the Weasleys would have one less set of books to pay for.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice Harry had no trouble recognizing. He straightened up and found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy, who was wearing his usual sneer. "Famous Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny angrily.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" drawled Malfoy. Harry only laughed to Malfoy's confusion.

"I've had a girlfriend for more than a year Malfoy and she is right behind you." he said, looking at Sophia. Malfoy turned around and noticed Sophia.

"So that's the Draco Malfoy you mentioned in your letters?" she asked. Sophia looked at him like she was reading him and said "Well, I thought that for someone brandishing his family name and money around he would at least look good." she said with a sneer. Malfoy became red in anger but before he could say anything they were interupted by Mr. Weasley.

"Kids!" he said, struggling over with Fred and George. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well — Arthur Weasley." said a new voice. The man put his hand over Draco's shoulder.

"Lucius," said Mr. Weasley coldly to Mr. Malfoy, Draco's father.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids … I hope they're paying you overtime?" He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amid the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. "Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," he said.

"Clearly," said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to the Grangers and the Clarkes, who were watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley … and I thought your family could sink no lower..."

There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy were fighting. The twins encouraged their father, Mrs. Weasley was shrieking in anger, the crowd was watching in interest, Lockhart was happy for the publicity and Hagrid was trying to separate them. "Break it up, there, gents, break it up!" said the giant man.

Once they were pulled apart, it was clear that neither one espace unscathed. Mr. Weasley had been cut on the lip and Mr. Malfoy had a newly formed black-eye. Still holding Ginny's old Transfiguration book, he put it back in her cauldron with force and said with a sneer "Here, girl, take your book, it's the best your father can give you." before leaving with his son.

Mrs. Weasley was beside herself with anger made it clear on their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. The families separated once in the pub, the Weasleys and the Clarkes both Flooing to their respectives home but not before Harry invited Sophia to spend the following day at The Burrow.


	10. The Diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle

Sophia arrived at The Burrow the following afternoon. She saw that everyone was in the living room. Harry was playing Chess with Ron and was loosing, the twins were talking in a corner, probably plotting something, Mr. Weasley and Percy were each reading a book, Mrs. Weasley was knitting a jumper and Ginny stat alone on one couch and was writting in a small black diary. Sophia gave a kiss to Harry before she went to sit on the couch. On the way there, she read a name on the back of the diary and she suddently panicked.

"GINNY DON'T WRITE IN THAT DIARY!" she shouted, making everyone jump, especially Ginny herself.

"Sophia? What's wrong?" asked Harry.

"Sophia?" asked Ginny with worry.

"I'm sorry to have scared you that way but don't write in that diary any further!" she said. Everyone noticed the panic in her voice.

"What's the problem with the diary?" asked Ron.

To answer him, Sophia asked Ginny to read out-loud the name that was written on the back cover.

"The name written is 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'."

"WHAT." shouted Harry, Ron and Percy who had all gone up their feets.

Ginny was now officially scared. She got worried when her new friend yelled at her to stop writing in her diary but her feelings became even worse when two of her brothers and Harry shouted in shock after she read the name.

Clearly knowing that something was wrong and worrying himself, Mr. Weasley asked "Who is Tom Marvolo Riddle?"

"Tom Riddle goes by another name today, one name that he took thanks to an anagram he formed with the letters of his name." said Harry. He then looked at Percy and asked "Can you write the letters midair and show the anagram? I would do it but I can't do magic." Percy nodded in understanding and wrote the name.

**TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE**

Just like Professor Dumbledore had done in the Hospital Wing a few months ago, Percy gave a flick of his wand. Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George and Ginny gasped when they saw the anagram.

**I AM LORD VOLDEMORT**

Ginny took one look at ... _his_ diary and threw it as far as she could. Mr. Weasley went on his feets and fire-called Professor Dumbledore. A minute later, the Hogwarts Headmaster came out of the fireplace and looked at the scene. He saw half of the Weasleys looking sick, the other half looking half-panicked, half-angry, including Harry Potter and a girl he had never met before.

"Can you tell me what happened here?"

"We think we have an object that was once owned by Voldemort. A black diary." said Harry, pointing at the small book on the other side of the room. Dumbledore approached the diary and took it in his hands. He saw the name written on it and paled. "Tom Marvolo Riddle." he read.

"Voldemort." said Harry. Dumbledore nodded. He then cast a few spells on the diary and his face paled further. "It is a good thing you asked me what was his name Harry." Dumbledore said after a few minutes. "I fear to imagine what would have happened had you not know who Tom Riddle became."

"So that Tom Riddle is truly You-Know-Who?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Dumbledore nodded.

"Can someone tell me how you came into procession of such an object?" he asked.

Ginny answered, the shock and fear still evident in her voice. "I found it with the rest of my school books after we came back from Diagon Alley. I thought that either Mum or Dad had bought it for me." she said quietly.

Mr. Weasley answered Dumbledore's untold question. "We never saw it before Albus."

"Then how?" asked one of the twins. Harry suddenly had a revelation. "THAT BASTARD!" he shouted. Everyone looked at him in confusion, well everyone but Sophia who understood right away what he was thinking. "No he didn't!?" she said with shock.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Do you guys remember how our trip at Diagon Alley ended?" Understanding flooded Mr. Weasley's face. "I'm going to kill him!" he said.  
"Mr. Potter can you tell me what happened?"

"Yesterday at the end of our trip Lucius Malfoy came into Flourish and Blotts where we were and he insulted the Weasleys by laughing at the fact that they had to buy old used books instead of newer editions. When he did that, he took one of Ginny's book from her cauldron, seemingly to take a look at it and he only put it back after his fight with Mr. Weasley. That's probably when the diary found its way into Ginny's book! Lucius Malfoy must have slipped it in her books!"

Dumbledore noticed that everyone in the room, excluding himself and Ginny, were filled with anger. On her part, Ginny just looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

"Thank you Harry and Miss..." he said with hesitation.

"Clarke. Sophia Clarke." said Sophia. The Professor's eyes started twinkling again and he looked at Harry who nodded at him.

"It is a plausible story but one that is going to be hard to prove." he continued. "I will try my best but be aware that it is possible that nothing will happen to Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I will destroy it as soon as possible." said Dumbledore before saying goodbye and flooing back to Hogwarts with the diary.  
Harry and Sophia both noticed Ginny's emotional state. Harry wanted to confort her but he realised that Ginny needed someone more like Sophia than him. Sophia understood Harry's line of thoughts by looking at him and went to confort the small red-head.

"Thank you." whispered Ginny before she broke into tears. Sophia took her in her arms and let her cry. Then, one by one, everyone else gave her a hug of support, starting by Mrs. Weasley who gave Ginny a bone-crushing hug.

"I have an idea." said Harry out of nowhere. He looked at his girlfriend and gave a nod of his head toward the fireplace, telling her to follow him. She nodded and Harry flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, followed by Sophia.

"What is your plan Harry?" she asked.

"Well first I want to buy her a proper diary, one that isn't charmed by an evil Dark Lord. And second, I want to do something to cheer her up tomorrow but I don't really have any ideas. I thought maybe we could either find a gift or buy things to make something fun at The Burrow."

"It is a good idea. And it is a good timing too." Harry looked at her in confusion. "Tomorrow is her birthday." she said.

"What!" said Harry, slightly shocked. "Why did nobody tell me before?" he asked. Sophia shrugged. Well now I know that we can buy her a gift as well. What do you think she would like? I know she is a fan of Quidditch but that's pretty much it.

"Maybe you could buy her own broom. She wouldn't have to sneak and take one of her brother's anymore."

Harry smiled. "That's a brilliant idea love! I just need to be careful what model I choose. I don't want to take a broom that is too expensive of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will see it as charity and they hate charity. They would try to force me to take it back." he said thinking. The couple first went to Flourish and Blotts and looked at the diaries. Harry choose the less inoffensive looking diary in the bunch, a beautiful white diary with red flowers on it, a similar shade to Ginny's hair and read the card attached to it. The card told them that the diary's only charm was to add more pages once all the original ones had been written into so that the diary would never be full. He then asked the clerk if it was possible to add someone's name on it. When the clerk answered positively, Harry told him to write "Ginny Weasley", bypassing her real full name, instead using her every name as it felt more personal.

With the diary in hand, Harry and Sophia went back in direction of the Leaky Cauldron and stopped at Quality Quidditch Supplies on the way there. They spent some time looking at the various models before they chose a Comet 260. Like for the diary, Harry asked if they could engrave someone's name on the broom and they gave Ginny's name. Finally, the couple went back to The Burrow with a diary in Sophia's hand and a long package in Harry's arms.

When they arrived back, Mr. Weasley was the only one left in the living room, still brooding about what Lucius Malfoy tried to do to his daughter.

"Where is Ginny?" asked Harry.

"She went to her room not long after you left." he said. They nodded and went upstairs. They first made a stop to Ron's bedroom where Harry hid the broom under his bed before the couple went back downstairs and arrived on the landing in front of Ginny's room.

Sophia knocked gently on Ginny's door. "Come in." they heard. Sophia and Harry entered.

"Hey Ginny." said Harry. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly. Sophia sat beside Ginny on her bed, putting an arm around her shoulders while Harry took a chair and sat in front of them.

"Better than before." she said sadly. "I feel betrayed. Tom acted like a real friend. Now I know that he was just manipulating me."

"Acted?" asked Sophia.

Ginny nodded. "The diary was writing back."

"Ah. I didn't even know it was possible."

"Anyway. Sophia and I just went to Diagon Alley. We wanted to buy you a diary, a proper diary in case you still wanted one." he said, showing the white and red diary. "This one is a normal diary. The only charm on it allow the diary to have more pages if you ever wrote on all the original ones so that it will never be full." he said before giving her the diary.

"Thank you, both of you." said Ginny softly.

"That's what friends are for." he said with a smile.

"Speaking of friends, if you ever want to talk about something to someone, I am always open. During the summer you can floo-call me and during Hogwarts you can send me letters. I'll always be happy to hear you out."

"Sophia and I are always sending each other letters back and forth so if you ever want to write one to Sophia just give it to me. I know Hedwig wont mind carying two letters at once."

Ginny smiled and gave a hug to both at the same time, taking confort in their embrace. At that moment. Ginny Weasley no longer saw Harry Potter as 'The-Boy-Who-Lived', she saw him as Harry, just Harry, one of her new best friends. She also no longer felt any jealousy toward Sophia for dating Harry as her crush on the fictional character slowly died down when she got to met the real Harry until that precise moment where she was being conforted by two of her best friends.


	11. End of the Summer and Hogwarts Express

The Weasleys expected Ginny to become even more uncomfortable around Harry and Sophia after the incident with the dairy. They expected Ginny to be quiet and retreated for at least a few days. To their surprise, the Weasleys noticed the old Ginny came back, the one from when Harry wasn't at The Burrow. Her family had noticed that she was slowly becoming more and more open after Harry had been there for a while but it all changed on the day of her birthday.

As the day came and went, Ginny was really open in front of the couple. Of course, it did help that they had bought her what she considered her best gift ever: her Comet 260 broomstick. The few Quidditch matches that took place during Ginny's birthday just reinforced Harry's idea that Ginny would make one hell of a Chaser once she joined the Gryffindor Lions. Harry was happy that Ginny's favourite position in the game was Chaser. He did not envy Angelina, Alicia nor Katie. He had a feeling they would have to watch their backs in a year.

The rest of the summer passed without a hiccup. Sophia spent as much time as she could at The Burrow before she would have to leave all her new friends behind to go to school. The end of the vacation came too quickly however and on August 31st, Harry and his friends had to say goodbye to Sophia yet again. Harry promised her that they would see each others for the Christmas and Easter holidays. Both Harry and Ginny told Sophia that they would write as many time as they could.  
On the morning of September 1st, Harry and the Weasleys all packed themselves in the Ford Anglia which, thank Merlin, had been magically expanded from the inside which allowed the whole family to climb onboard and sit quite comfortably. The Weasleys had to go back home twice because someone forgot something. The first time, it was Fred who had forgotten his broomstick and the second time, Ginny claimed to have forgotten her diary, causing a bit of panic to the Weasleys who had to be reassured by Harry that the diary in question had been given by Sophia and himself after what happened with Riddle's.

Harry and Ron decided to mess with Ginny on the car ride, for tradition sake, wanting to tell her crazy tales of how students were sorted into their houses but Ginny only laughed when Harry told her that they had to do a swimming competition across the Black Lake, revealing to them that she already had known for a long time how the sorting happened thanks to Bill.

"And you never told me that?" said a shocked Ron. "Last year the twins told me we had to fight a troll and I believed them!"

"Couldn't ruin tradition, could I?" said Ginny with an evil grin.

Fifteen minutes before the train departed, the group arrived at King's Cross Station. They quickly went toward the portal on the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Percy went through first, followed by Mr. Weasley and then Fred and George. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley went together, leaving Ron and Harry alone.  
"Let's go together, we've only got a minute," Ron said to Harry.

The duo ran toward the barrier and crashed straight in the wall and bounced backward. There was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals when Hedwig caused a scene.  
"What in blazes d'you think you're doing?" said a nearby guard.

"Lost control of the trolley," Harry gasped, clutching his ribs as he got up.  
"Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron.

"I don't know!" said Ron, panicking. Ron locked at the clock and saw that it was 11AM. "We missed the train! What are we going to do?" he said.

"There is nothing to do." said Harry simply. ""I think we'd better go and wait by the car, we're attracting too much attention."

"Harry!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!"

"What about it?"

"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!"

"No bloody way! I'm not doing something stupid and reckless again! I don't fancy a visit by an angry Sophia."

"Alright then, let's go then."

Harry and Ron loaded back their trunks and Hedwig and Scabbers' cages in the car and waited a few minutes for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to come around.  
"What are you still doing here?" asked Mrs. Weasley when they saw the two friends waiting for them.

"We tried to follow you but the portal toward Platform 9 and 3/4 resealed itself before we could go through. We crashed and we got stuck."

"Let's go back home then, we will Floo you to Hogwarts."

* * *

Ginny was sitting alone in one of the Hogwarts Express compartments. She expected to be sitting with Harry and Ron but they never came. Ginny was wondering if they had forgotten about her when someone with brown bushy hair opened the door. "Hey Ginny, have you seen Harry and Ron? I looked around the whole train but I never saw them."

"No, I was wondering about that myself. They said I could sit with them but I never saw their faces since we were on the Platform."

Hermione ranged her trunk and sat in front of Ginny. "I hope they aren't doing something stupid." she said.

"Unlikely." said Ginny laughing. "Harry know Sophia wouldn't be happy if he did something like that." Hermione laughed as well.

"So, what classes are you looking forward the most?" asked Hermione.

* * *

Harry and Ron arrived back at The Burrow about an hour after the train left. Mr. Weasley went straight to the fireplace and called Professor Dumbledore. After a few minutes, his head emerged back from the fireplace and said "Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you. Albus said that you will be able to stay in Gryffindor Tower until the train arrive in which time he expect you to join the others in the Great Hall." The duo nodded and they flooed to the Headmaster's office.

"Ah Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. I see that your school year is starting with a bang." said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You know me Professor, I couldn't wait!" said Harry with sarcasm.

During the afternoon, Harry and Ron played many games of Chess and Exploding Snap. Harry also wrote his first letter to Sophia and sent Hedwig straight away. About thirty minutes before the students arrived in the castle, Harry and Ron started going down to the Great Hall. They were alone at first but they were quickly joined by the Professors and a few minutes later, the first group of students entered the Great Hall, Hermione was among them. Hermione who was worried during the whole train ride, visibly relaxed when she saw her two best friends. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"The portal to the Platform sealed itself before we could go through. We had to go back home and Flooed here." answered Ron.

"So you had the whole castle for yourself?" she asked with disbelief.

"Basically." said Harry with a smug face. Harry had no doubts that had Hermione been in her situation should would have profited of the occasion to have the Hogwarts Library all for herself.

Once all the students arrived, it was time for the sorting. Harry and his friends were glad that Ginny was sorted in Gryffindor with them. The feast was delicious as always and the whole House went to the Tower to have a good night of sleep. Harry was hoping to have a normal year this time, but he had a feeling something would happen toward the end of the year. He just had no idea what. Having Voldemort's diary destroyed surely helped calm theses thoughts.


	12. A Normal School Year, So Far

As with the year before, Harry sent as many letters to Sophia as he could. Half of the time, his Hedwig was also carying a letter from Ginny who also missed her best friend.  
Harry and Ron immediately took an instense dislike to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts: Professor Lockhart. Harry was intercepted by Lockhart before his first Herbology class of the year. Lockhart had tried to make conversation with Harry, talking about Fame and Celebrity to Harry's annoyance. When he was finally able to come back to the class, he shared what he thought about the man. Ron agreed but Hermione tried to defend him. Harry had suspicions that Hermione had a crush on Lockhart, something that was confirmed when they went to his classes. Hermione had been able to answer perfectly Lockhart's ridiculous' test and blushed when the idiot had praised her. Sophia, who had seen Lockhart first hand at Flourish and Blotts, couldn't understand how Hermione could stand the man, much less have a crush on him.

Harry's first few weeks were spent trying to avoid Lockhart and Colin Creevey, a first year and one of Ginny's classmates, as much as possible. Both were constantly trying to interact with Harry because of his fame, something he never liked. Colin eventually stopped when Ginny had enough and told him that Harry hated his fame and that Colin was just making the boy uncomfortable.

On a Saturday morning, the Gryffindor Lions had their first Quidditch practice of the year. Oliver Wood, the Lions' captain, made a very long introduction and speech to a half-sleeping team. When the team finally went to the pitch to actually practice, the Lions saw the Slytherins Snakes make their way as well. Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Colin, who had come to the pitch to watch the practice, all came down to the pitch as well to see what the conflict between both teams were. The Lions quickly learned that the Snakes were training their new Seeker, Draco Malfoy, who had obviously bought his way in the team with his father 'donation' of seven Nimbus 2001. When Hermione pointed that fact to Malfoy, he insulted her by calling her a 'mudblood'. Before anyone could react, Ginny sent a powerful Bat-Bogey Hex to Malfoy, making the Snakes run for it. Colin managed to take a picture of Malfoy after the curse had struck and Harry bought many copies of the picture to be distributed around the Tower. Harry sent a copy to Sophia who thanked Ginny personally in a letter for hexing Malfoy.

On Halloween, Harry was invited to Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party after the ghost helped Harry escape Argus Filch's wrath. Not wanting to be impolite, Harry accepted the invitation. Nick also invited Hermione, Ron and Ginny, which Harry told him that he would talk to them about it. When Harry told them about Nick's invitation, Hermione was the only one excited about it, wanting to witness what a ghost party was like. Ron and Ginny didn't like the idea but as Harry and Hermione were already going, they decided to come along.

The group left the party disappointed and hungry. They quickly made way to the Great Hall where they were able to take a few bites of desert before the food all disappeared. Ron was particularly grumpy about it so Ginny decided to show the trio the way to the kitchens so that they could have a proper meal.

On the Gryffindor Lion's first Quidditch match of the season, Harry arm was broken by a rogue bludger. Harry still managed to catch the Golden Snitch with his other arm but crashed down after doing so, having problems controlling the broom with no free hands. Lockhart, thinking that he was saving the day, attempted to fix it but accidently removed all the bones from Harry's arm. Harry was forced to stay at the Hospital Wing overnight. Harry got woken up in the middle of his sleep and after putting his glasses on, he was surprised to see none-other than Dobby the House-Elf.

"Harry Potter came back to school," he whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"

"It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

"Indeed yes, sir," said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!"

"Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir. …"

Harry slumped back onto his pillows. "Why are you doing that Dobby? Nothing wrong happened this year, well nothing wrong except a rogue bludger... wait hold on!" he said with wide eyes. "Don't tell me you charmed this bludger!"

Dobby's reaction was all Harry needed to confirm his suspicions. "You'd better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you."  
Dobby smiled weakly.

"Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home." he said before blowing his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore.  
Harry took pity on Dobby and asked "Why do you even wear that thing?"

"This, sir?" said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. "This a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever."

"Alright but why do you insist about me going home? Why so much as you think it is a good idea to try to kill me?"

"Dobby does not want to kill Harry Potter sir, Dobby only want Harry Potter to be out of harms ways once the diary..." he started before he tried hit himself with his fist.

After having stopped Dobby from further hurting himself, Harry asked "What do you mean the diary? Are you talking about Tom Riddle's diary?" Dobby nodded. "Dobby! Dumbledore destroyed Riddle's diary back in August! Nobody was ever in danger!" he said.

"Harry Potter was not in danger?" he asked.

"I never was except from when you tried to kill me!"

Hearing that Harry and everyone else at Hogwarts was safe, Dobby cried again but this time in relief. "Dobby is so sorry sir! Dobby didn't know that the great Harry Potter had already got rid of the danger!"

Harry signed. Even after everything Dobby had done to Harry, Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for the small thing. "You know what Dobby, I will see if I can try to free you. If I do, do you want to come work for me?" he asked. "I won't have really much to ask you to do but it would certainly be better than whoever your masters are." Dobby quickly accepted once he calmed himself and apparated away.

A few days before the Christmas Holidays, the first meeting of Professor Lockhart's Duelling Club took place. Lockhart humiliated himself in front of the whole school when he tried to duel his assistant, Professor Snape. The students were quickly pared into groups of two and Lockhart asked them to practice the Disarming Charm and Harry was eventually sent against Draco Malfoy. After a few spells sent toward each other, none of which were the Disarming Charm, Malfoy conjured a snake to attack Harry. Lockhart tried to banish the snake but accidently set it loose on the students. When the snake looked like it was about to attack a Hufflepuff student, Harry told him to stop, just like he did during when he visited Sophia at her home for the first time. Harry was surprised when people looked at him in horror. He understood why Sophia had done so a year ago since they did not know of magic back then but he didn't understand why fellow witches and wizards reacted the same, if not even worse. Ron, Hermione and Ginny quickly explained to the boy why everyone reacted like that.

Harry, Sophia and Mrs. Clarke had all been invited to The Burrow for Christmas. Hermione was welcome as well but she decided to go celebrate with her parents instead. Harry and Sophia meet again once at The Burrow and their friends quickly realise that their relationship is becoming more and more serious as time progress. On Christmas day, Harry and Sophia burst out laughing when they realised that they had the exact same idea for their presents and both gave each other a pendant with their initials on it, which made everyone laugh. Sophia spent more of her time at The Burrow flying alongside Harry since it was something she couldn't do at her school.

On Valentine's Day, Harry and his friends turned up in the Great Hall and groaned. They discovered that Lockhart had a precise idea of how Valentine's Day should run as he had decorated everything in the Great Hall in pink. The boys were terrified and Ginny almost puked when they entered the Great Hall. Lockhart announced that for the whole day, dwarfs would run along the school, delivering signing valentines. When she heard that, Ginny grinned evilly and sent one to Harry to his complete horror.

On April, Harry prepared himself for his upcoming trip to the Clarkes. He was anxious as Sophia had sent a letter a few days ago telling him that she wanted to try something with him during the week-long holidays. With his packed trunk, Harry went to Professor McGonagall's office to Floo directly to the Clarkes.


	13. Sophia's "Brilliant" Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow! We finally arrived at the point where the story can truly start!

Sophia was pacing the living room of #12 Privet Drive. There was something she wanted to try with Harry during the week-long vacation. She had heard some older students at school talk about it. She had heard how 'bloody brilliant' it was and she knew it was something she wanted to do with Harry. Now the question was telling him. It wasn't something she was planning on doing for another few days. Anyway she prefered if it was at a time where her mother wasn't in the house.

Mrs. Clarke had long since stopped trying to calm Sophia down. She knew something was on her mind but she guessed that it was something she wanted to talk to Harry so she didn't push her. When the fireplace turned green and Harry appeared, trunk in hand, Sophia jumped on him and kissed him passionately.

"Welcome home Harry." said Mrs. Clarke. She gave him a hug when the couple had finally come out for air.

"Thank you Mrs. Clarke." answered Harry, grinning.

"Why don't you go put your trunk in your room? I have an errand to run, I probably won't be coming back for a few hours." said Mrs. Clarke.

_Oh dear._

Sophia was waiting on an opportunity to tell Harry what she wanted to do in private but she never expected it to happen right away. But she also knew that it was highly improbable that there would be another, her mother was also in vacation after all. When Mrs. Clarke left the house, Sophia dragged Harry to her bedroom and made him sit on the bed. She started pacing nervously.

"Sophia? Are you alright?" asked Harry with worry.

Sophia quickly nodded but she didn't stop nor say anything.

"Is it about what you wrote in the letter? What you wanted to try?"

_The letter!_

She had completely forgotten that she already had told him that she wanted to try something with him. Well, it would make things a little easier.

"Yes Harry. I don't know how to ask you and I was not planning on doing so for another few days but Mum just left and I don't know if we will have another opportunity before the summer." she said quickly.

"What is it?"

Sophia stopped pacing and she sat on her bed beside Harry. She took his hand and looked at him in the eyes.

Through her eyes, Harry saw all the love Sophia felt toward him and he felt his heart pounding faster.

"The thing that I want to try is... well... I want to make love with you Harry."

Harry's breathing stopped for a second. "Are you sure? I know it is a pretty big thing."

Sophia nodded. "I've been thinking about it for more than a month. I want to try and I am ready. Apparently it is supposed to be brilliant. What do you think?"

Harry thought about it for a few seconds. If he was honest with himself, he had thought about the idea a few times ever since Christmas but he never expected it to happen so quickly. But he wanted to do it, just like Sophia did. "I want to do it but aren't we supposed to have some kind of talk with an adult before doing something like that?" he asked.

"Maybe, but I prefer if we can discover it ourselves, what do you think?" she said with a nervous smile.

"Maybe you are right." he said, smiling as well.

Sophia went on her feets and began to undress. When she was done, Harry was able to admire all the beauty of her naked girlfriend. He could feel himself becoming hard, a brand new feeling for him. He could tell that it was going a brilliant afternoon.

* * *

The first thing Mrs. Clarke noticed when she entered the house that afternoon was the two pre-teens asleep on the couch, with the credits of a movie rolling on the television. Mrs. Clarke did not feel like waking them up, she could see that they felt completely peaceful asleep together. They both even had a small smile on their faces.

Eventually, she had to wake them up as it was time for diner. Mrs. Clarke saw the face they made when they noticed her and she became confused. She saw a flash of both nervousness and happiness cross their faces before it left them and now looked just content. They never stopped smiling but it was mostly obvious on Harry's face. His mouth was close to grinning. His smile decreased when he noticed Mrs. Clarke looked at him but it never left him. Both were happier than usual and guessed that they were just happy to be back together, to relieve the tension of the last few months of the school year.

That evening, when they went to bed, Harry kissed Sophia goodnight more passionately than ever before and whispered in her ear that he hoped they could do it again before they had to go back to school. Sophia knew that, just like her, he had loved their little "experiment". Sophia was affected by the way Harry looked at her, she had never felt so loved and cherished before and she could feel that it was the same for Harry, someone who had grown up without any love was drinking Sophia's as much as he could. Harry had never felt as good before.

* * *

Harry never slept as good as he had that night. He had dreamed about what he and Sophia had done that day and woke up with his member hard. He had to wait a few minutes to calm down before he was able to go to the bathroom.

Sophia's situation wasn't much better. She had to fight hard not to jump on Harry right then and there and snog him as hard as she could. Not like she would stop herself once they were alone in one of their room...

Mrs. Clarke was even more puzzled that morning. At breakfast, Sophia looked like someone who was love-sick, which was weird considering her boyfriend was sitting right beside her. It became even more apparent when Harry touched or when they looked at each other's eyes. And her boyfriend still carried the same smile he had the previous evening. It was almost... _smug_. Since Sophia didn't look stressed at all anymore, she guessed that whatever talk she wanted to have with Harry had taken place and they had both come out better out of it.

That day, Harry and Sophia went to the park. It was something they had not done for quite a while, after all they had spent a lot more time at the Weasleys recently, but it was becoming part of the tradition to at least go to the park at least once every week they spent together at Privet Drive. The couple was sadden to see that the park looked more and more vandalised every time they went but it was even worse that week as they hadn't come since July. They loved that place as it was one, if not the only place where they were able to play together when they first became friends and kept it a secret from everyone else. Harry recognized a few tags belonging to his cousin Dudley. One the swings was now also broken.

"Why do they do this?" whispered Sophia in sadness, her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry shrugged as they took a look around. The couple had matured a lot in the last two years, and while playing in the park did not have the same appeal as it had when they first met, they still enjoyed walking on it and looking at the other kids play.

"Do you want children, eventually?" asked Sophia, looking at a young couple who was playing with a four or five years old toddler.

"Do you remember the Mirror of Erised?" Sophia nodded. "In the mirror, I saw more than my parents and you alongside me. I saw each other looking older, maybe in our early 20s, and we both had a ring on our left hands. With us, there was two small children. I didn't understand at the time why there was two children around us, and I didn't mention it to anyone but now it make sense. See, even back then I realised that my deepest desire was to have my own family. We might be only twelve, almost thirteen, but I already know now that I want to marry you, and I want to have children with you."

Sophia had tears running on her cheeks at Harry's confession. What Harry described, it looked perfect for her. If it was Harry's deepest desire then she would gladly give it to him once they were old enough.

"I love you Harry." she said before giving him a kiss that she hoped could convey all the love she felt toward him and what he had shared.

* * *

Again, Mrs. Clarke found herself dumbfounded by her daughter and the boy she now saw as her own son. It wasn't much of the faces they were doing this time, but the love they felt for each other that was radiated all around the place. She couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on something personal every time she was in the same room as them.

It was an unspoken agreement that what Harry saw in the Mirror of Erised had become their new life goals. They no longer saw any possibility of sharing their life with anyone else in the world, not that they ever thought about it previously. Harry knew that he loved Sophia more than anyone else, just like Sophia knew she loved Harry more than anyone else in the world.

The rest of the week-long vacation was spent calmly. Mrs. Clarke had observed the couple for the rest of the week but she couldn't notice anything different in their faces anymore, at least not until the last day where she had to absent herself for an hour in the morning. When she came back, Sophia had a dreamy face and Harry looked slightly smug again.

Harry and Sophia had an emotional goodbye, which Mrs. Clarke felt like it looked similar to the first time they had to leave each other for a few months and not like at the end of the previous summer or the Christmas Holidays.

When Harry flooed back into Professor McGonagall's office, the Professor immediately noticed the face one of her favourites students was wearing. It was like a lovesick puppy. There was also something in his face that reminded him of... but nah it couldn't be. Harry was way too young to even start thinking about it. She figured that it was something else. _Maybe he finally figured out the joys of snogging!_ she thought sarcastically.


	14. The Talk and Revelations

Mrs. Clarke finally figured that it was probably time to have 'The Talk' with her daughter before she saw Harry again. It had been a month since they last saw each other but for the few times that she saw her during the month, she could see that she was becoming more and more restless. Since Sophia hadn't been feeling well in the last week and had been sent home for a few days, Mrs. Clarke figured there was no better time as now to have her little chat.

Mrs. Clarke knocked on the door of her daughter's bedroom. "Come in!" she heard.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty fine actually, even if from time to time I just suddenly want to puke. It's worse in the mornings."

"Sophia." she said hesitantly. "I think its time we have 'The Talk' together. Since you are home today I figured that there was no better time than now to have it."

"The Talk?"

"Yes." she said, clearing her throat. "You see, when a boy and a girl like each other very much, they might start doing certain things..." she stopped when she noticed Sophia's blush. There was something in her face that was screaming that she knew exactly where she was going with it and Mrs. Clarke couldn't help but have a very **bad** feeling about it. "Why do I have a feeling that you know exactly what I was going to say?"

"Well..." Sophia started, refusing to look at her mother. "I heard a few people at school talk about it." It didn't take a genius to see that there was a lot more that was left unsaid. She suddenly remembered how Sophia and Harry were acting at the beginning and end of the Easter Holidays and realised it was probably connected.

"And?" she asked with fear.

"Well... HarryandImighthavetriedsomething" she said very quickly.

"Can you repeat slowly please?"

"Harry and I might have tried something, during the Easter Holidays."

Mrs. Clarke was starting to panic. "Did you two have sex?" Seeing Sophia's face reddening was all the proof she needed. "You at least used some kind of protection, right?"

Sophia looked at her mother with confusion. "What do you mean protection?"

It was official, Florence Clarke was completely panicking. Suddenly, everything made sense to her. Harry and Sophia's attitudes during the Holidays, she could now see that it was the one from a couple that had taken their relationship to the final step. The emotional goodbye they had even if they would see each other only two months later. Sophia's current sickness, how she said that it was worse during the mornings. _Bloody hell_.

When Mrs. Clarke had finally calmed down, she simply said. "I think you and I need to go to the hospital. Soon."

* * *

The following morning, the Clarkes left toward the hospital. Mrs. Clarke had made an appointment for Sophia that morning. She really hoped that the results of the test would be negative. She did not know what would happen if her 12-years-old daughter was pregnant. And oh god, how would Harry react?

Mrs. Clarke had quickly parked the car in one of the Hospital' parking slots. A few minutes later, Mrs. Clarke and Sophia were waiting for their appointment. She hadn't told Sophia what the appointment was about and, from the look on her face, she hadn't figured out yet, to her surprise. But she figured that she would be less stressed if she didn't know what the appointment was about than if she knew it was to check if she was pregnant.

"Sophia Clarke." announced the voice of a young female doctor. _Perfect_ thought Mrs Clarke. _It will be less uncomfortable for Sophia if it is a women that check on her._  
"Mrs. Clarke, Miss Clarke." said the Doctor while shaking their hands. "My name is Dr. Smythe, and I am here for your appointment." When they sat at her desk, Dr. Smythe looked at her notes and her left eyebrows rose slightly but enough for Sophia to notice. "I see here that you are here for a pregnancy test for young Miss Clarke, is that correct?" she asked to Mrs. Clarke.

"WHAT?" shouted a clearly shocked Sophia.

"Yes." said Mrs. Clarke grimly.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WANT TO CHECK IF I AM PREGNANT? WHAT MAKE YOU THINK THAT... Oh." she said before covering her face with her hands. She had been stupid. Suddenly, her mother's question about protections made sense. They hadn't even thought about that. She remembered saying ' _I prefer if we can discover it ourselves_ ' to Harry. She wanted to kick herself in the head. Harry had ever told her that it could be a better idea to wait until they had 'The Talk' with someone and yet they did it anyway. She feared to think how Harry would react at the news if she was indeed pregnant. She knew that Harry's deepest desire was to have a family and children with her, but they had clearly agreed that it would be years in the future! Now here she was, at the hospital, possibly pregnant and she was only 12-years-old. The realisation really hit hard for the girl who suddenly burst down into tears. Sophia was taken into her mother's arms as she cried on her shoulder. The tears stopped a few minutes later, and Sophia asked "How can we know for sure?"

"There is a simple test we can do, then you will just have to wait a day or two for the results. We will give the results to you via telephone." said Dr. Smythe.

"Let's do it then." said Mrs. Clarke.

* * *

Mrs. Clarke found herself in a similar situation to how she was the day Harry arrived for Easter. The main difference was that they weren't waiting for someone but for something. More precisely, a phone call. Like that day, Mrs. Clarke was sitting on the couch, waiting calmly (or at least she was in appearance) while Sophia was pacing around the living room. It was currently mid-afternoon and the Clarkes knew the phone call could, would arrive any minutes now. The appointment had been two days ago. And then it happened. The phone rang.

"Quick quick! Please please please please please." almost yelled Sophia more to herself than to her mother. Mrs. Clarke answered. "Hello, you are calling at the Clarkes..."

Sophia was trying to see what would be her mother's reaction so that she could take a guess at the results. Sadly for her, her mother was completely unreadable. The call ended and her mother put the phone back. "It's confirmed. You are heavily pregnant."

"I need to talk to Harry." is all she said before she came crashing down on the couch. She had fainted.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was currently looking at a list of potential Defence Against the Dark Arts replacements for Gilderoy Lockhart. It was obvious for the Headmaster that the famous author knew nothing about real defense. He really regretted hiring the man. Dumbledore envisaged asking his good friend Alastor Moody about taking the post but the man was in his last year at the Auror Department. He decided that he could ask him for the school year following the next one. Now it was more important to look to find a teacher for the next month of September. Only one of the potential candidates would be good enough. He only hoped that the man's lycanthropy wouldn't cause any problems during his teaching.

Professor Dumbledore was woken up from his thinking when the fire from his fireplace turned green. He had a Floo-call incoming.

"Ahh, Florence! It has been a long time since we talked to each other." The last time had been when Mrs. Clarke had been pregnant with Sophia. She needed to hide from the war and the rest of the Wizarding World as she was a pregnant squib and so in danger. She had asked Albus Dumbledore for help and he had delivered when he sent her oversea for a bit more than a year before the war ended on Halloween 1981. "I did have the honours of meeting your daughter this summer while she was at The Burrow. Her and Harry looked like quite the pair."

"Yeah, about that... I need to ask you if I can take Harry out of classes for a few hours. I am aware that I am not his guardian and have in no way any authority but it is really important."

"Well, I am currently Mr. Potter's substitute guardian since his godfather is... unavailable at the current moment. Can you tell me what is so important that you need to ask for Harry to be out of classes for the rest of the day?" Mrs. Clarke nodded and told him everything.

"Shit." was all the ancient Headmaster said.

* * *

Harry came out of D.A.D.A class more annoyed than ever. He really had enough about Lockhart's teaching methods. Harry was a student not an actor! "What is our next class?" he asked to Hermione with a bit more force than he should. Hermione didn't care. She knew that Harry was annoyed at Lockhart, not at her. Even she finally managed to see the light a few months ago and kept being disappointed by the class every week. "Transfigurations." she answered. While Ron and Hermione talked about homework, Harry tried to calm himself.

"Are you alright Harry?" asked Ginny who had just finished Transfigurations.

"He's fine." said Ron. "We just came out of Lockhart's class."

"Ah." she said in understanding. "You guys had another play?"

"And Lockhart asked for my help, yep." he said with a sigh. "I really can't wait for the year to be over." The door of the class opened and the trio said goodbye to Ginny. The three friends sat at their usual places and listened to Professor McGonagall's lesson. After a few minutes, someone knocked at the door. It was Ginny. "Sorry Professor but the Headmaster is asking to see Harry at his office." she said before giving Professor McGonagall a small scroll of parchment. Professor McGonagall read it and nodded.

"Mr. Potter, you are excused from the rest of today's lesson. Be sure to ask a classmate to give you the information you missed so that you don't have to catch up next class." she said. Harry nodded and left with Ginny.

"Do you know what this is about?" he asked Ginny.

"I don't. I saw Professor Dumbledore while I was walking back to Gryffindor Tower and he asked me if I could deliver a message to you and Professor McGonagall. All he said was that it was very important. He also said that the password was 'Oreo'." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, thanks Ginny." he said in appreciation before going in direction of the Headmaster's office.

"Oreo!" he said to the gargoyle. He had know for quite some time where the Headmaster's office was but it was the first time Harry had set foot in it. He was completely mesmerised by everything he saw. The former Headmasters and Headmistress's portraits, all the magical instruments, the small library in one corner and the Phoenix resting on a perch near the Headmaster's desk.

"Ah welcome Harry!" said Dumbledore.

"Hello Professor." said Harry. "Why was I asked to come here, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Questions are only natural Harry, especially when we have no answers beforehand. But for today, I am not the one that you will be speaking to." he said.

"Ah?" said Harry with curiosity.

"You need to Floo to #12 Privet Drive." said Dumbledore.

"What? Why? Did something happen to Sophia? Is she alright?" he asked in quick succession. Professor Dumbledore smirked.

"Miss Clarke is quite alright actually, but something did happen. Florence contacted me earlier today and explained the reasons why she asked for you. I must say that it is really important that you go there."

Harry nodded before taking a pinch of Floo powder. "Can I Floo back here after my visit?"

"Of course you can! You don't think that I will ask you to take the Hogwarts Express alone to come back, right?" he said with a chuckle.

"Alright, thank you." he said. "Number Twelve Privet Drive!" he shouted. In an instant, he was gone.


	15. Daddy Potter

The first thing Harry noticed when he arrived at #12 Privet Drive was that Sophia's wasn't in the room. The second thing that Harry noticed was the look Mrs. Clarke sent him. It was similar to dissapointment but not quite, like if he had done something she did not approve of but also didn't blame him. Harry was confused.

Mrs. Clarke probably saw his confusion in Harry's face because she simply said "Sophia is waiting for you in her room. You both have an important conversation ahead."

Harry nodded and with one last glance at Mrs. Clarke, he went upstairs. The house was utterly quiet and Harry didn't like it. When he arrived at Sophia's bedroom, he noticed that the door was closed. Her door had never been completely closed the previous times he had spent the night here. Harry knocked quietly.

"Sophia?" he asked through the door.

"Enter." said a simple voice.

Harry became even more worried when he took a glance at Sophia. She was sitting on her bed, but wasn't doing anything. He could see that her eyes were slightly puffed and realised that she had cried sometime before he arrived.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sitting beside her, affectionally putting a hand on her leg.

"Yes... and no..." she said. "I have something important to tell you and to be honest, I am afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

Sophia shrugged. "Afraid of your reaction, afraid of what it will mean for us, afraid that I won't be able to do it..."

Harry took the girl in a hug. "Why don't you just tell me then?"

Deciding to just throw it out of her system, she said "I'm pregnant Harry." Sophia felt Harry suddenly tense and he looked at her straight in the eyes. 'There you go', she thought, 'he is going to reject me.'

"What do you plan to do with it?" he asked.

"I want to keep the baby." she said.

Harry looked at her, like if he was trying to see if she was sincere. Then suddenly, he kissed her and took her in her arms. "I know it's way earlier that we ever wanted to but... I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!" he shouted with happiness, jumping on his feets and started dancing in the room with glee. Sophia couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. She had been so afraid that he would just abandon her, that she wouldn't like her anymore or would try to force her to have an abortion that she never realised that she was granting Harry's deepest wish, even if both had agreed that it wouldn't happen until many years in the future.

Suddenly remembering Sophia's state when he had entered, he stopped and looked at her. "What about you? You said you were afraid."

Sophia nodded. "I am. Trust me, I am happy but I am also afraid. I mean, we are only twelve, we are still going to school and because of that we don't even see each other most of the year. And if that wasn't bad enough its not like one can just move to the other's school since one is muggle and the other is magical. I mean we could hire tutors but it's not like we have a lot of money ourselves and taking care of a child will cost enough already. I am happy that we will have a child together, even if we are only twelve, but I have no idea what we will do!"

Harry took his pregnant girlfriend in a hug. "We will find a way. And we do have money. You saw the vault at Gringotts and that was just my school vault. I don't even think I will spend half of it before I finish Hogwarts. And if this is a school vault then there is probably a lot more that I will inherit once I am old enough. I am sure your mother will help us as much as we can, money or not, although she did look disappointed at me when I arrived."

Sophia snorted. "No surprise, she nearly had a heart attack when she asked me if we had used protection and said I didn't know what she meant."

"Yeah I dont think she expected to be a grandmother so soon..." The couple silently held each other in their arms for a couple of minutes before Harry said "Would you prefer if the baby was a boy or a girl?"

"What about you?"

"Honestly, both are fine for me. I know I will give them all the love I can either way..." he said before tensing up again.

"Harry?" asked Sophia with worry.

"Sorry, I just realised that I have no bloody clue how to be a father. It's not like I had one or any paternal figures. The closest would be Mr. Weasley but I only saw him this summer..."

"You are going to be fine Harry." she answered with a smile. "You might think you will do a bad job but the way you were raised will make you know exactly what not to do as a father. If you think about it, every time you wished something good would happen to you, you will be able to do it with our child."

"You are right, our child will be the most spoiled brat in existence." he said with a laugh. It earned him a slap on the shoulder.

"Promise me one thing."

"What is it Harry?"

"We must never let the Dursleys approach our child."

"Don't worry, I didn't intent on theses... things... to ever harm our child, I won't let it suffer like they did to you."

Harry smiled. "I'm curious, how did your mother take it? I couldn't see what she thought about it, well excluding the disappointment she felt toward me, not like she seemed to be blaming me for it or anything."

"Well she wasn't really happy. I know in my heart that she will help us as much as we can, and she will continue to love us as much as she did, our child included. I just don't think she is happy that it is happening while her daughter is twelve."

"Wonder why." said Harry with a smile. "Does anyone else know? I expect Dumbledore to know since he was the one who told me to come here."

"Nobody else know. I spent the last few days here because I had morning sickness and they sent me home so that I could recover. Obviously nobody at school realised that I was fine, that it was just because I was pregnant. Except for when we went at the hospital to see if I was indeed pregnant, we didn't leave the house. So you, me, Mum, Dumbledore and Dr. Smythe are the only ones aware, for now."

The couple sat for a while on Sophia's bed. Exhausted, Sophia eventually fell asleep on Harry's shoulder, leaving him free to think. Harry wanted to do everything he could to support his girlfriend and child. He suddenly got an idea, but he wasn't sure if it was possible. After all, they were only twelve. He would have to ask Dumbledore and he expected that he would need to visit Gringotts for that matter. Anyway he wanted to go to make his own Will and Testament. If he died, he didn't want Sophia to be left alone to take care of the child without any support.

There was a knock on the door. "Enter." said Harry quietly. To his surprise, not only was Mrs. Clarke there but also Professor Dumbledore. "She's sleeping." he mouthed, pointing at Sophia. Dumbledore nodded and whispered. "Do you mind meeting us in the parlour when Sophia wakes up? We want to talk about living arrangements since obviously your child will change everything. Harry nodded and said that he would wake her up in ten to fifteen minutes.

* * *

"Hey sleepy-head." he said, trying to wake up Sophia.

"Fiv mor' min'ues." mumbled Sophia.

Harry realised there was only one way he could wake her up properly. He kissed her.

"I could certainly get used to waking up like that." she said with a smile.

"Me as well." he said. "Your mother and Professor Dumbledore are waiting for us in the living room, they want to talk to us about living arrangements.

Sophia nodded. "I'm hungry as well." she said simply. Harry laughed which earned him a hard glance from Sophia. Harry suddenly realised it might not be a good idea to laugh at his pregnant girlfriend if he wanted to be alive for his child's birth.

The couple silently made their way downstairs to the parlour.

"Harry, Sophia." greeted Dumbledore.

"Professor." they said as one before taking their place on their favourite couch.

"Since you are having a child, it will be important to think about your futures. The ways things were going, Harry would have stayed at his relatives and went to Hogwarts while you Sophia would have lived here and went to your school but your new baby throw all of this out of the window. For now, I think it is preferable if things don't change. You will finish your school year before coming back to your respective homes."

"I have to go back to the Dursleys?" asked Harry.

"Only for this summer. I don't plan on separating you from Sophia and the baby once it has arrived but for this summer it is important if you stay there."  
"Why?" asked Sophia. "Why is it important if he stay with them?" she said.

"When Lily, Harry's mother put herself between Lord Voldemort and Harry on that Halloween, she activated a protection, a protection made out of love. Love is the most powerful magic in the universe. That magic was strong enough to not only block but reflect the Killing Curse, a curse said to be impossible to block, nor to survive. To ensure that this protection would survive, Harry had to go live with one of her mother's blood relatives. Since the last relative alive was her sister, I sent Harry to live at the Dursleys. That protection need to be powered up every year, think of it as if it was using a muggle battery. Every year, Harry's presence at #4 Privet Drive would recharge that battery and would allow him to keep the protection for around a year, long enough for him to return to his relatives to recharge it. By making you return there this summer, it will enable you to recharge the protections one last time. The protection will only collapse if you either, spend more than a year and a few months away from #4, or if you no longer consider #4 Privet Drive your home."

Harry nodded in understanding. He didn't like it but it would only be for one summer. Anyway, he would be able to go to Sophia's as much as he wanted, well as long as the Dursleys weren't going to get in the way.

"How long will I need to stay there for the protections to recharge completely?" he asked.

"At worse, until your birthday."

"So I could just leave once it is my birthday and never come back?"

"You could indeed but remember that one more day you spend at the Dursleys once the protections are charged back is one more day of available protection. I would say that you should spend your whole summer there but I know that you will be miserable if you do, as much as you would be able to see Sophia."

"Yeah." he said. "I would much prefer spend the summer here or at the Weasleys than the Dursleys."

"What about school?" asked Sophia.

"Your mother and I talked about this and we thought that it would be preferable if we hired tutors for you. You won't be able to go to school once the child is born, he will take too much of your time to be able to concentrate on your classes. We have a suggestion. Either you could continue your schooling here, until the child is old enough for you to be able to spend enough time away that you will be able to attend school again, or, and that might be preferable for both of you, we could invite you to continue your schooling at Hogwarts."

"Really?" said both kids with excitement. Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course, if you choose Hogwarts then the tutors will have to be aware of the magical world but you will also have access to Hogwarts' Hospital Wing if you ever need help, just like you would be able to see Harry everyday. The downside of going to Hogwarts would be that your child would probably be known of the public early on. It might be preferable to keep it a secret since it is not only the child of a twelve years old students, but of Harry Potter himself."

"What do you think?" asked Sophia to Harry.

Harry thought about it for a moment. "Well honestly I don't know. I would prefer the idea of keeping our child safe by keeping its existence a secret but I also know that it won't last for long. It will be easy to see that something is different in my behaviour, especially if I start spending a lot of time out of the castle. It will just raise questions." He then turned to Dumbledore. "If it is a magical child, wouldn't the Ministry be able to discover it exist?"

"Indeed, they would be able to know, if they looked at your or your family files. I would like to say that it would not happen anytime soon, but since you are one of the most known wizards in the world, and that the Potters are one of the most influential families of the country, it wouldn't be surprising if someone checked your files and noticed that you were a father."

"So if we want to keep it a secret it would buy us a few months at most after the child is born?" asked Sophia. Dumbledore nodded. "Well we know the answer now don't we?" she said to Harry.

"Indeed. You will be the first Muggle to attend Hogwarts." he said with a smile.


	16. Gringotts

"Professor, how young can you be to be legally married?" asked Harry right off the bat when he and Professor Dumbledore arrived back to the Headmaster's office. At the question, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I believe the age is fourteen my boy, at least in normal circumstances."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"If you wanted to be married because you wanted to be married then the earliest would be when both persons are fourteen. But I am guessing that the reason you are asking is because you want to marry Sophia now that she is pregnant with your child, right?"

"Yes Professor. I already knew I wanted to marry her, in the Mirror of Erised, I saw our older selves both wearing rings on our left hands. I just never expected it to happen this early but since Sophia is pregnant I thought that it could happen now."

"Well since you are about to become parents, the Ministry will allow you to become married. The only hiccup is that your marriage would be announced to the world, even if you keep it private. And since you aren't fourteen yet, people would realise you shouldn't be able to marry so young unless there was a special reason, and then the dots would connect in people's mind."

"So if I ask Sophia to marry me, it would pretty much announce to the Wizarding World that we are expected to have a child?"

"Correct."

Harry nodded. "Can I go to Gringotts soon? I want to make a Will and Testament. If something happen to me, I still want Sophia to be supported.

Dumbledore nodded. "We can go tomorrow if you want, as it is the weekend. Nobody will miss us." he said before adding "Now, I think it is time to say each other good night, come back to here at 11AM tomorrow, we will go to Gringotts."

"Thank you Professor for your help in this matter."

"It is no problem Harry." he said with a smile.

XXX

"So, what did Professor Dumbledore want?" asked Hermione when she, Ron and Ginny arrived back from dinner. Harry didn't go as he had already ate something at the Clarkes. "I will tell you but we need to go somewhere private."

"Let's go to our dorm room then." said Ron. The group went in the second-years dorm and closed the door. Ron and Ginny sited themselves on Ron's bed while Harry and Hermione sat on Harry's. "Well there is no easy way to say this so I will just say it. Sophia is pregnant."

Hermione and Ginny gasped. Ron hid his surprise better as all Harry saw was his eyes become wide but he was also smiling.

"Congratulations mate!" he said with a friendly slap on his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"How did... when did this happen?" asked Hermione, shocked.

"Easter Holidays. We decided to, uhh... 'experiment' and we didn't think at all about using any kind of protection. It's only when Sophia received 'The Talk' a few days ago that Mrs. Clarke realised what we had done and brought Sophia to the Hospital to check if she was pregnant or not. And she is."

"What are you going to do?" asked Ron.

"For now, nothing. We decided to keep the baby so for now, we will finish our school years then we will both go back to our respectives home at Privet Drive. It's only at the end of the summer that things will change. For one, I will never have to go back to the Dursleys once the summer is over and second, Sophia is coming with us at Hogwarts." he added with a smile.

"Really?" asked Ginny with excitement.

"Yep. Correct me if I am wrong Hermione but I think Sophia will be the first Muggle to attend Hogwarts."

"She will be." she said. "What classes will she have?"

"None of our classes that I am aware. She will have private tutors that will teach her just like if she was still at Muggle School. Maybe even a few Professors here will help her, but I don't know for sure yet." Then he remembered something. "Tomorrow I am going to Gringotts, I want to make a Will and Testament and also to ask questions about... well you will see if I am correct." he said teasingly.

"Can't you tell us?" whined Ginny.

"I could, but I want to tell Sophia first and its a surprise for her. You will understand once I tell you." he said with a grin.

* * *

It was a shock for many Gringotts customers to see two of the most famous wizards of the modern era, Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, enter the bank together. They all had eyes on their backs when they arrived at the front desk.

"We would like to see Mr. Potter's account manager." said Dumbledore to the Goblin.

The Goblin nodded and shouted "Griphook!"

Griphook arrived and said "Ah, Mr. Potter. We were expecting you."

"I will wait outside." said Dumbledore with a nod.

"You were expecting me?" asked Harry once they arrived in Griphook's office.

"Of course, we realised you would probably want to come here for your business now that you have a Heir on the way."

Harry was gobsmacked. "How do you know sir? We never told anyone." Griphook smiled, a smile that made Harry uncomfortable.

"I am the House Potter account manager you know, I have many confidential files on the family that only a member of the House Potter or the Account Manager can access. Theses files work as a family tree and update automatically when a child is conceived or when someone in the family get married."

"So you can guess why I am... wait, House Potter?"

"Yes." Griphook looked at him curiously. "You weren't aware that your family was a Ancient and Noble House?"

"Sorry but no. What does it mean?"

"A House is a family that has some sort of power in the government. An Ancient House is an House that existed for at least five centuries, which is the case for yours since your family was started by Linfred of Stinchcombe in the 12th century. He was known as ' _The Potterer'_ and this surname eventually became the name 'Potter'. A Noble House is a title only given to Houses that have a lot of power and money. House Potter is both an Ancient and Noble one. It is far from being the most Ancient or the most Noble."  
"My family is rich? When did this happen?"

"Your family has always been rich but it only gained the title of Noble a few decades ago thanks to your grandfather. Back then, House Potter was already rich but not enough to be considered a Noble one. It had gained enough power in the early 20th century thanks to your great-grandfather Henry Potter but the House had to wait until the next generation when your grandfather quadrupled the fortunes of the House by creating and selling the Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. When your grandfather sold most of his shares in the Sleekeazy Company, the Ministry decided to give the title of Noble to House Potter and for the first time it became the Ancient and Noble House of Potter."

"Why did nobody tell me before?"

"House Potter only gained the Noble title a few decades ago. Almost everyone was left unaware of this development since the family has always preferred to be out of the public eye. I doubt that anyone, except maybe Professor Dumbledore, has known that House Potter is both an Ancient and Noble House."

"Alright, but will this be important for what I came here?"

"What do you mean Mr. Potter? I thought you came here to claim your Lordship."

"My Lordship?"

"Weren't you listening? House Potter is a Ancient and Noble House. It make you Lord Potter, if you wish to claim your Lordship."

"Sorry Mr. Griphook. It's just so overwhelming." said Harry. "But no, that's not why I came here although the idea is tempting. I came here to make a Will to be sure that my child and Sophia would continue to be supported if I ever die."

"We can do that, but do you want to claim your Lordship? I would suggest you would do so as you would gain majority and you would have access to your Family Vault."

"Alright, I will do it."

"Alright then, let's go."

"Wait, where?"

"To your Family Vault, of course!" said the Goblin with a smile. He was clearly enjoying Harry's ignorance.

* * *

"I just realised, I don't have the key!" panicked Harry. He and Griphook were currently standing in front of the vault door of the House Potter Family Vault.

"You don't need one Mr. Potter." he said. "Only Lord Potter, his wife or the Account Manager can enter the vault." Griphook then proceeded to put his right hand on the door. The door glowed white for a few seconds before it disappeared. Harry looked at his vault and saw... nothing."

"It's empty!"

Griphook snorted. "It certainly isn't. You would see it, if you were inside the vault."

"Oh." said Harry before entering. Suddenly, everything that was present in the vault appeared right in front of him and he gasped. There was a literal mountain of gold in the vault and plenty of Family Heirlooms, including the likes of books, weapons, jewelry, magical objects, paintings and a Muggle medieval armor, for some reason. "Bloody hell!" he said out loud.

"Bloody Hell indeed Mr. Potter." said the Goblin before walking to the pedestal that was in front of them. On top of it, there was a simple ring with the emblem of the House: a 'P' on top of a stag. "A stag?" he asked. "What does it mean?"

"It is the emblem of House Potter. For many, many years, House Potter did not have an emblem. It is only when your father became Lord Potter that he decided to change it. If I am correct, the Stag was Lord James Potter's Animagus form."

If Harry wasn't convinced to take the Lordship before, now he certainly was. Harry would be proud to wear a ring with his House' emblem on it. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Just put it on your ring finger, on your right hand."

Harry did so. When he put the ring on, Harry suddenly felt a surge of magic. Not only did he feel more powerful, he suddenly felt a small connection to something about thirty miles away. Harry realised he probably felt his unborn baby, the only other member of the House 'alive'.

"Congratulations, Lord Potter." said Griphook with a smile. "Now that we are done with this, you can explore the vault. I will go back to the surface and leave you alone. Once you are ready to go back to work on your Will, just call for a cart. We will hear you."

"Thank you Griphook." he said before taking off.

Harry wanted to take a look around. Everything belonged to his family. Harry wasn't planning on taking anything out but when he arrived at the jewelry, he spotted a small velvet box. Harry stopped breathing for a few seconds when he saw the names on the box. James and Lily Potter. Inside, there was three rings. An engagement ring and two wedding rings. Harry realised that his parents must have put them here before they died. They probably realised that if something happened to them, Harry would love to be able to have them. Harry noticed the engraving on the engagement ring. 'To Lily Potter, the love of my life.' The wedding rings were only engraved with each's name and '31/10/79'. Tears slowly fell when Harry realised that his parents were killed on their second wedding anniversary. The boy pocketed the small box with the rings and continued to explore the vault.

Harry wasn't really interested in checking out the paintings but he decided to take a look since he had checked out everything else in the vault. Harry was almost ready to leave when he heard a voice. A familiar voice.

"Harry?" said the shocked feminine voice.

Harry drew out his wand and pointed it in the direction of the voice. He gasped when he saw where the voice originated from. "Mum?" he asked, his voice broken. "Dad?" he added when he noticed the next painting. When the portrait of Lily Potter nodded, Harry fell on his knees and broke down crying.


	17. The Portaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly a recap of the story so far, told from Harry and Sophia's Point of View.

"How?" he asked between sobs.

"Harry, is that you?" asked James' Portrait. Harry nodded. "My son, what are you doing here?" he asked. When he saw the look on Harry's face, he quickly explained himself. "Not that I don't appreciate it to see you, trust me, but I know we are in the Family Vault and you shouldn't have been able to access it until you were seventeen. The only way to come down here before you were an adult would have been with us but with the reaction you had to our portraits I realise that we didn't survive, right?"

Harry shook his head. "You- you died when I was one year old, on your wedding anniversary." he said, looking at his parents' portraits. His parents.

Lily's portrait looked crestfallen. Just like James, she realised that Harry's reaction was of someone who didn't grow with them but she had hope that they had least had a few years with him.

"When did this happen?" asked Harry, pointing at them.

"Each Lord and Lady of the House Potter receive a portrait once they die. They are made automatically and stored here until someone move them to a more permanant residence." explained James. "But tell me, how did you access the vault so young?"

"It's a long story..."

"We like long stories, but you don't have to tell us right away if you don't want Harry." said Lily.

"Thanks, I would prefer to tell you with Sophia present."

"Sophia?" asked James, clearly showing interest. "A girl? Who is that lucky one..."

"James!" said Lily. "Can't you see that your son is clearly not in the mood?"

To her surprise, Harry chuckled, disproving her point, at least partially. They might be portraits but hearing them arguing made them more human to Harry.

Before the conflict could escalade more (Harry had a lot of experience in stopping theses types of arguments thanks to Ron and Hermione), Harry asked "Can I take your portraits with me?"

James smiled. "Of course you can! To make us easier to transport, just give a small tap with your wand and we will reduce to a quarter of our size. It will also deactivate the portrait before you tap it back and give it its original shape."

Harry did so and put the portraits in a bag he had found in the vault and later used to store the few things Harry wanted to take with him that day.

Exiting the vault, Harry saw the door close behind him. He was now on the small platform. "I wish to have a cart to go back to the surface!" he said out loud. A minute later, an empty cart arrived. Harry sat in it and the cart speeded away.

Back in Griphook's office, Harry took care of his Will and Testament, leaving everything he owned to his child or children (in case he didn't update the Will after more were born) and left a substantial amount of money to Sophia so that she wouldn't have to worry about her finances if something was to happen to him. Finally, he left his Nimbus 2000 (or any future broom he owned) to his friend Ron Weasley.

When he exited Griphook's office, he saw that Dumbledore was missing.

"Professor Dumbledore told me that he had to go back to school and said that you could Floo to his office once you returned."

"Thank you Griphook but I think I will do an unscheduled stop to Sophia instead." he said.

* * *

Sophia was in pyjamas, watching the television when Harry suddenly tripped out of the Floo and crashed right in front of where she was sitting. "I'll never get used to this damn thing." she heard him say. Sophia giggled before giving him a kiss.

"Are you alright?" she asked with concern. She could see that he had cried.

"Yes, I am fine. It's just that something unexpected happened today. Can I talk to you in private?" he asked.

Sophia nodded. "We can talk here. Mum is at work right now so we won't be disturbed."

"Alright." he said before sitting beside her on their favourite couch.

"So, what happened?"

"Today I went to Gringotts with Professor Dumbledore. I wanted to make a Will in case something happened to me and you were left alone to take care of our baby." When Harry saw Sophia's concern and sadness he added. "Don't worry, I don't plan to die anytime soon but I prefer to have a Will than none."  
Sophia nodded. It made sense.

"Today, I learned that the Potters aren't just a random family but it is actually the 'Ancient and Noble House Potter'. It basically mean that it is an important, powerful and rich family in the Wizarding World. Enough that the head of the House is considered a Lord and his wife a Lady." Sophia's eyes bugged out. "Yes I know," he said with a chuckle. "I had the same reaction."

"What does being a Lord mean in the Wizarding World then?" she asked.

"I am not totally sure but it mean that the Family have some power in the Ministry of Magic. I will have to ask the Professor."

"Alright." she nodded. "What else did you learn? I can see that you cried and I wonder what made you react like that." she asked.

Harry gave her a sad smile. "That's what I wanted to show you." he said before reaching his bag. He drew out two small paintings. It was portraits of his parents.

"Wow, you look just like your father. And your mother is beautiful. You have her eyes!"

"I know, I don't know how many people told me that in the last two years but I always like hearing this. But you haven't seen the real thing. Theses portraits aren't normal. They are magical."

"What do you mean? I don't see any difference."

Harry smiled before taking both portraits and putting them on the wall in front of him. Then he gave them a tap of the wand each. Harry knew that they were activated again before his parents now looked asleep in the portraits. His father was even snoring. To Sophia, who had never seen a magical portrait, she was stupefied. "Wow." she said, breath taken. "Why are they sleeping?"

Harry chuckled. "Because I had deactivated the portraits when I took them out of the Family Vault and I just reactivated them. I think we need to wake them up." he said.

"WAKE UP!" suddenly screamed Sophia which made Harry and both his parents' portraits jump.

"Wow wow wow, I'm up, I'm up!" said James before realising where he and with who.

"No need to scream!" complained Lily.

"Sophia, meet the portraits of James and Lily Potter. My parents. Mum, Dad, this is Sophia Clarke, my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Potter." said Sophia.

"James and Lily will do fine my dear." said Lily, smiling.

"Do you pay Quidditch?" asked James to the two children. Lily snorted at her husband's priorities.

"I'm Seeker for the Gryffindor Lions since my first year!" said Harry proudly.

"Seeker in your first year?" asked a dumbfounded James. "How?" Harry then proceeded to tell him the story of his Flying Lesson and how he became the youngest seeker in a century. James was proud that Harry was a natural on a broom and had not lost a single match yet. "What about you?" he asked to Sophia.

"I play Chaser." she said.

"Are you on a House team as well?"

"Uhh no. I don't attend Hogwarts. I am a Muggle." she said a bit downfaced.

"There is nothing wrong with that dear." said Lily.

"I know, its just that sometimes I really wish I could go to Hogwarts and be able to use magic."

"Well at least you will be able to go to Hogwarts next year, even if you won't learn magic." said Harry proudly before kissing him.

"But how? No Muggles ever attended Hogwarts before!" said Lily with a tone similar of a certain bushy haired witch they knew. The couple looked at each other before Harry said. "Well I think I better start from the beginning. On the night of Halloween 1981, Voldemort came to our house to kill us. I don't really know what happened but I know he managed to kill Dad first before going to the nursery. Voldemort said to Mum that she could live if he got out of the way since he wanted to kill me. Mum refused and Voldemort killed her. He then pointed his wand at me," Harry heard a sob coming from his mother's portrait. James didn't look much better. "before sending the Killing Curse at me. Somehow, when Mum put herself between us and sacrificed herself, she activated some sort of love protection and when Voldemort sent the Killing Curse at me, it rebounded and hit him instead."

"You mean..." started James.

"That Voldemort was defeated that night. People think that I did something, they call me 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' and they also say I defeated Voldemort but its rubbish. Mum is the one who defeated Voldemort that night, I mean I was a baby, how could I ever done it!" he said.

"Love, you are venting." said Sophia.

"Sorry."

"Harry really hate his fame." she said.

"So my wife defeated Voldemort?" said James, shocked.

"Technically yes, although it was after she had already died."

"Wow." said Lily.

"But wait, how did Voldemort even find us before? We had hidden our home under the Fidelius Charm. It would mean that Pettigrew betrayed us then!" said James, angry.  
"Fidelius Charm? Pettigrew?" asked Sophia.

"The Fidelius Charm is a ward that allow someone to hide something, usually a location, under a Secret-Keeper. Whatever is then hidden won't be able to be accessed in any way by anyone until the Secret-Keeper decide to tell you the secret. In short, it will suddenly stop existing until you learn of the Secret. In our case, we hid our home under the Fidelius and our Secret-Keeper was Peter Pettigrew, a school friend of James."

"So if Voldemort found us, it mean that Pettigrew gave the Secret to Voldemort?" asked Harry, horrified. The fact that someone his parents trusted with their lives betrayed them really horrified him.

"It would seem like it is the case if he found us. But anyway, continue the story." said James.

"Yeah, I have a very bad feeling about the next part because that house look a lot like the house my sister got with her whale of a husband. I think the address was '#4 Privet Drive'." said Lily, looking around.

"Uh well, we are currently at #12 Privet Drive, Sophia's home." said Harry.

"But that's..."

"A few houses away from the Dursleys. I know because that's where Dumbledore put me after you died."

"DUMBLEDORE PUT YOU THERE?" yelled Lily.

"Yeah. He told me something about the Love Protection you gave me and that it would stay active as long as I lived with one of your blood relatives and since Aunt Petunia is the last one..."

"Please tell me she at least treated you right." implored Lily. The fact that Harry refused to look at her portrait told her enough. "How bad?" she asked.

"Bad enough that by the time I met him, Harry was forced to do chores all day, almost every day and was barely fed. His bedroom was also the cupboard under the stairs." said Sophia. James and Lily had paled. Lily had tears on her cheeks while James looked angry. Harry looked at Sophia, slightly betrayed but Sophia said "They might be portraits but they are your parents. You shouldn't hide theses things from them."

Harry sighed and said "You're right."

"Did they beat you?" asked James, afraid of the answer.

"Only happened when I did some accidental magic which was about four or five times in total before I went to Hogwarts. The usual punishment would be to lock me in my cupboard without meals." he said slightly ashamed. Harry really hated talking about this and he really hated to see his parents' reactions. He felt like if it was his fault.  
Sophia could read Harry pretty well because she said "It is not your fault Harry!" she said before kissing the tear that had fallen on his cheek. "It's the fault of those horrible people, you shouldn't blame yourself."

"I know but its hard to undo ten years of thinking that everything was my fault."

"We will get through." said Sophia with a smile. Harry kissed her with all the love he had. They only stopped when they heard James clearing his throat.

"Not that we don't appreciate seeing you so much happy together but why not move to the next part?" suggested Lily. Harry instantly lit up.

"Well you see, one day about two years ago, the Dursleys left the house to go to a cruise dinner. I was left alone to do chores all day because they couldn't find someone to babysit me. While I was taking a small pause outside, drinking cold water, I saw someone approach. It was a very pretty girl named Sophia."

"What he didn't tell you is that he lost his breath seeing me, literally because he started choking on the spot and coughed." laughed Sophia. James and Lily followed her.

"She was breathtaking!" he said, also laughing. "So Sophia helped me get my breath back and she introduced herself. We talked a bit and then she asked me if she could come back..."

"...Harry looked unsure when I asked him so I thought that he didn't want to be friends with me and started apologizing..."

"...and when I saw her reaction I panicked because I wanted to be friends with her! So I quickly told her that I wanted to be her friends but I was afraid that the Dursleys would try to separate us and Dudley and his gang would try to bet her up because she wanted to be my friend..."

"...so I suggested that we could have a hidden friendship. I would hide in the Dursleys' backyard so we could talk when Harry had chores outside and he accepted..."

"...best decision I ever did!.." said Harry proudly.

"...so we spent the next month having an hidden friendship. Almost everyday I would sneak in the backyard..."

"...something she really enjoyed to do..."

"...and we would talk together. Sometimes we would go to the park where we could have fun together without worrying about anything..."

"...eventually, I received a letter..." said Harry which made Sophia snort.

"...his Hogwarts letter..."

"...and of course the Dursleys burned it when they saw what it was..."

"...and Hogwarts sent more..." continued Sophia.

"...and the Dursleys burned more. They tried all they could to stop him but it didn't stop them..."

"...Harry told me that one day they sent the letters in a dozen-eggs box via the milkman..." she said, which made all four laugh.

"...and it frustrated the Dursleys to no end. One day, Hogwarts just dropped a bomb in the fireplace about fifty letters flew around the place..." James burst out laughing.

"...I saw everything from the outside window because I somehow knew something important would happen today and when I saw the explosion of letters I laughed my arse off..."

"...but then Uncle Vernon lost it and told us to pack. We were leaving..."

"...and I was sad when I heard this because it meant that my best friend was leaving and I didn't know where or for how long..."

"...meanwhile, Uncle Vernon drove us around the country, where we eventually arrived at an hotel..."

"...where Hogwarts sent you around a hundred letters..."

"...to the total shock of the owner and the anger of Uncle Vernon. Never saw such a purple face before..."

"...and then he drove them around until they arrived at a shack on a island in the sea..."

"...where Hagrid turned up out of nowhere with my letter past midnight. It was my birthday..."

"...Hagrid explained to you your story and the next day you went to Diagon Alley..."

"...and we bought everything I needed for my first year at Hogwarts..."

"...and then Harry came back and ran to my house to tell me everything..."

"...but on the way I realised that if I went to Hogwarts then it meant that we wouldn't see each other until the next summer..." said Harry sadly.

"...and I found him just standing there two houses away from mine, not moving or doing anything, lost in his mind..."

"...until she said my name where I snapped out of it..."

"...we hugged each other..."

"...and right then and there I realised that I was in love with her..."

"...and right then and there I realised that I was in love with him..."

"...so I kissed her..."

"...and I kissed him as well..."

"...I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend..."

"...but Harry wanted to tell me he was a wizard and that we wouldn't see each other for most of the year before asking me..."

"...because I feared that if I asked before and then told her that I was going to Hogwarts and so I wouldn't be able to see her then she would be disappointed..."

"...I would have understood but Harry didn't know that..."

"...so I told her everything I learned so far. We also learned that Sophia's Mum is a squib and so was aware of the magical world..."

"...and then he asked me out..."

"...and she said yes!" finished Harry before they jumped in another snog.

James and Lily were completely mesmerized. It was like watching twins talk. One would constantly continue the sentence of the other and the point of view of the story kept changing.

"What a story!" said Lily. "You have been together ever since?"

"Yep." they both said at once.

"So you got the love of your live after knowing each other for a month?" asked a slightly shocked James. The couple nodded. "Lucky bastard." he said with a laugh.

"James!" said Lily also laughing.

"What? It took me six years before you finally said yes!"

"Well it certainly didn't help that you were a prat for five years!"

"Remind you of anyone?" whispered Harry in Sophia's ear.

Sophia coughed something that sounded a lot like "Ron and Hermione." which made Harry laugh. "Yep."

"What you laughing at?" asked James.

"You." he said. When he saw that Lily was about to use this as an opportunity to say something to James he added "Both." Lily huffed and James snorted.

"I think we better continue before your parents either kill or snog each other senselessly." said Sophia with a knowing grin.

"Were you always like that at Hogwarts?" Harry asked. Seeing that they refused to Harry's eyes, Sophia said "Bloody hell." in disbelief.

"How did Gryffindor Tower survive them?"

"Alright you two shut it." said James.

"So, where were we?" asked Harry.

"After your birthday."

"Ah yes. Well you see, Sophia and I decided to not care about keeping our relationship secret. The Dursleys were too scared of my magic to do anything to stop us anyway..."  
"...so we stopped being all secretive and spent the month doing whatever we wanted..."

"...playing in the park..."

"...snogging..."

"...watching movies..."

"...exploring the neighbourhood..."

"...snogging..."

"...and more snogging.."

"...and then it was time for me to go to Hogwarts..."

"...so we started corresponding via letters..."

"...Hedwig loved the exercise..."

"...still do..."

"...but that's mostly because she like you more than me..."

"...so anyway we were sending each other letters the whole year..."

"...I told her how I was sorted in Gryffindor..."

"...your Flying lessons..."

"...becoming friends with Ron and Hermione..."

"...the troll..." which earned them a shouted "WHAT." but the couple just ignored them.

"...the first Quidditch match and Quirrell trying to jinx my broom and Snape trying to save me..."

"Excuse me, Snape? As in Severus Snape." said James.

"Yeah, the greasy git is our Potions teacher."

James snorted. "Greasy git certainly define him..." Lily sent him a glare. "What? It's true!" he said to his wife. "How does he treat you?" asked James.

"Horribly. Potions was one the subjects I was looking forward the most but he instantly kill any interest I had in the first Potions class. He started calling me a celebrity that wouldn't pay attention to his class, he then suddenly asked me questions than no first year, especially not students in their first ever class, would know the answer for. It was obvious he was trying to humiliate me in front of everyone else. He is biased toward Slytherin, he is always worse with Gryffindor and then there is me. I think the first class he removed points for Gryffindor because someone else's cauldron exploded and said I didn't tell him not to do his mistake because I was trying to make myself look good..."

"You are venting again Harry."

Harry sighed. "Sorry."

"I'm disappointed that Severus can't even let go of an old school grudge toward your father after all this time."

"Can you believe that your mother used to be his best friend?"

"What?!" said both pre-teens.

"Yeah, yeah that was before he called me a 'mudblood' so can we please move on?" she asked. Harry winced when he heard that the greasy git had called his mother like that.

"So yeah, where were we. Ah yes the first Quidditch match." started Sophia.

"Yeah so at that point Ron, Hermione and myself were investigating the secrets of the third floor corridor..."

"...Professor Dumbledore had given a warning not to go anywhere near that at the start of the year..."

"...and of course I accidently ended up there one night with my friends..."

"...and there was a big three-headed dog here courtesy of Hagrid..."

"...we learned that it was guarding a small package that Hagrid had took out of Gringotts the day we went shopping for my school things..."

"...so the three friends realised that it was something to do with a certain Nicolas Flamel..."

"The Philosopher's Stone?" asked Lily.

"Well that would have been useful to have you back then!" answered Harry with a laugh. "So yeah it was the Philosopher's Stone but we didn't know that until way later..."

"...and during that time Christmas arrived and he spent it here..."

"...never thought I would be happy to come back to Privet Drive but obviously Sophia changed that..."

"...and we spent Christmas here, Harry received your Invisibility Cloak that day James."

"Really?" he asked with interest. "Did you use it to sneak out?"

"Yep. The first night I came back, I decided to test it out and explore the castle a bit. I used the opportunity to check the Restricted Section of the Library in the hope of finding more about Nicolas Flamel..."

"...but Harry had to flee because of Filch..."

"...and I ended up in an unused classroom. In it, there was a big mirror. It was called 'The Mirror of Erised'." Lily gasped in recognition.

"Did you look at it?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "I looked at the Mirror and saw myself, about twice my age. Behind me was you two, each having a hand on my shoulders. On my side, Sophia was there, also looking twice her age. We both had a ring on our left hands and around us where smaller children. If we exclude the both of you, I saw a future where I was married with Sophia and I had children with her. My deepest desire is to have a family." he said with a sniff. Sophia kissed him and rubbed her hand on his back to bring him some confort. Lily and James looked sad and they had the face of someone that blamed themselves for his lack of family.

"It is not your fault." he said to his parents. "You died trying to protect me, you shouldn't blame yourselves for not being there with me. If anything, I should be the one to blame myself because Voldemort went here to kill me, not you." he said with a sob before putting his head on Sophia's shoulder and slowly cried.

"Shhhh." she whispered calmly in his ear, still rubbing his back. "Don't you dare blame yourself. If we were in their position, would you blame our unborn child that we died protecting him or her?" she added just low enough that the portraits would not be able to hear her.

Harry looked at her like she had grown two heads. "What, of course not!"

"Then what make you think that your parents didn't feel the same toward you?"

Harry was forced to recognize the logic behind her words. "Thanks." he said once he calmed down. "You always know what to say."

"Advantages of being me." she said with a smile. Harry chuckled. "And I love you for being you." he said before they started kissing each other again.

"Trust me Harry." started James. "We don't and will never blame you for what happened to us."

"The one to blame should be Voldemort, not you my son." added Lily.

"Thanks." he added with a smile.

Sophia cleared her throat. "So after that, the year continued. I discovered Nicolas Flamel on Albus Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card and I immediately sent Harry a letter..."

"...which made Hermione remember where she had read the name before and she discovered the Philosopher's Stone..."

"...we tried to keep a lookout for Snape in case he tried to get the Stone for Voldemort. Don't look at me, that's what we thought were happening at the time and we were wrong."

"On Harry's second Quidditch Match, Harry made the new record for fastest catch of the Snitch in the History of Hogwarts..." said Sophia which made Harry earn a proud 'That's my boy!' from James.

"...and not long after we learned that Hagrid was trying to raise a dragon in his hut..."

"...but Harry and friends managed to convince Hagrid to send Norbert, the dragon to a reserve where Ron's older brother Charlie works at..."  
"Norbert? What kind of name is that?" asked James.

"Better than 'Fluffy', the name he gave to the three-headed dog."

James burst out laughing.

"Anyway..." continued Harry. "Once we managed to get rid of Norbert, Hermione and I were stopped coming down of the Astronomy Tower because we forgot the Invisibility Cloak there..."

"What were you doing out of curfew with a girl on top of the Astronomy Tower?" asked James teasingly.

Harry just raised an eyebrow. "That's where we dropped off Norbert. What else would we be doing?" asked Harry, totally oblivious to what James was implying.  
"Just ignore him Harry." said Lily.

"Anyway! During the detention, we were sent to the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night... pretty ironic now that you think about it, and we were sent to search for a dead unicorn, following its trail of blood. Draco Malfoy, who had been sent on detention because he was also out trying to bust us, fled when we saw that something was drinking its blood but my scar was hurting so bad that I could barely move..."

"...Harry was saved by the centaur Firenze who told him that the thing was Voldemort..." she heard the portraits gasp.

"...and eventually we learned that Dumbledore was sent out of the castle and we realised that the one after the stone would make his move that night so Ron, Hermione and myself went to try to protect it..."

"...he passed all the different protections and arrived in the final room where the stone was stored and found Quirrell in front of the Mirror of Erised..."

"...turns out that Quirrell had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head and was trying to get the Stone to give him a new body..."

"...but he couldn't get it out of the Mirror because only someone who wanted the Stone but not use it could get it out..."

"...so Quirrell used me to get it..."

"...and he refused to give it to him..."

"...so Voldemort made some rubbish promise that I would give you back to me if I gave it to him..."

"...and Harry again refused so Quirrell tried to grab him..."

"...but because of Mum's protection, Quirrell would be burned every time he tried to touch me, it would just bloody burn my scar..."

"...realising that, Harry threw himself at him like an idiot to the point where he fainted..."

"...Quirrell died, Voldemort fled and I woke up in the Hospital Wing. I remember that the first thing I said when I woke up was 'Sophia is going to kill me.'" he added with a chuckle.

"Once I knew he was safe, I certainly wanted to." Lily laughed in understanding with Sophia. Both women had learned how hard it could be to curb their recklessness.

"Dumbledore and I had a talk after I woke up. I learned a few things, including that Mum had sacrificed herself for me which is the reason I survived that night. He also told me that the Philosopher's Stone had been destroyed and finally, after I asked him, Dumbledore told me that Voldemort's real name was 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'. Remember this, it is important later."

"Eventful first year you had." said James.

"Yeah. At least this year was better."

"What happened then?" asked Lily.

"Well for the summer, Harry and I started meeting each other in secret and I sneaked in the Dursleys' backyard again."

"That month at the Dursleys was pretty much identical to the one before my birthday. The only thing different was that we were dating so we weren't just acting as friends if you know what I mean..." he added with a grin.

Sophia gave him a small slap on the arm before she continued. "On Harry's birthday, a House-Elf showed up, saying that he didn't want Harry to go back to Hogwarts this year because something terrible would happen..."

"To be sure that I would not be able to go, the little bugger did magic inside the house, levitating Aunt Petunia's pudding and dropping it on one of their guests that night..."

"...and obviously, Harry got blamed for it..."

"...and since the Ministry sent a letter saying that I had done under-age magic and if I did it again I would be expelled from Hogwarts, well the Dursleys realised that they could do anything without fearing that I would retaliate with magic and decided to lock me up in my room and told me that I wouldn't go back to Hogwarts and, as Uncle Vernon puts it, if I tried to escape doing magic I would be expelled anyway..."

"...the next day, I arrived there to see Harry as usual and I saw his fat Uncle bolting bars around Harry's window..."

"...he wanted to be sure that I couldn't escape from there nor be able to send or receive any mail. Good thing I had sent Hedwig at Sophia before the summer started." he added.

"When Vernon finally was done with the window, I went to it and shot a few rocks at the window to grab Harry's attention..."

"...when I saw her, I mouthed to her to send a letter to my friend Ron Weasley so that the Weasleys would be able to get me out of there..."

"...but Harry didn't realise that Ron and his twin brothers would try to do the job themselves..."

"...so they stole Mr. Weasley's flying car and parked themselves just outside my window!" he said with a laugh.

"They came in a flying car?" asked Lily, incredulous. James just laughed.

"Yep. Just Ron with Fred and George, they didn't tell anyone else, they just showed up in a flying car! They were able to remove the bars thank with the car and they got me and my stuff out."

"Harry spent the rest of the summer at the Weasleys. Since we had since connected our fireplace to the Floo Network, we were able to visit each other every day."

"I was a bit stressed out the first time Sophia and her mother visited." Sophia snorted at the 'a bit'.

"'A bit' is an understatement."

"Fine. I was afraid that the Weasleys and the Clarkes wouldn't like each other."

"But we did! Everything was fine and I became friend with all of them!" she added with a smile.

"I only met the Weasleys once. I could see right away that they really were a nice family. I am happy that they took care of you Harry."

"Thanks Dad."

"So yeah, nothing really important happened while we were there..."

"...just something about Diagon Alley and Voldemort's Diary. Nothing important..." added Harry in a bored voice.

"You are shitting with us, right?" asked James.

"No. It was my first time I went to Diagon Alley and I explored the place with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, Ron's sister. We had fun, until we arrived at Flourish and Blotts."

"Yeah, there was a book signing that that with Gilderoy Lockhart." The portraits of the Potters grumbled.

"Gilderoy Lockhart is a fraud." said Lily.

"Oh we know, trust me." said Sophia.

"We just wanted to get our books and leave as fast as possible but obviously it wasn't to be since Lockhart saw me and suddenly took me by my arm to take a picture with me."

"Harry looked so uncomfortable." giggled Sophia. "No idea how others didn't notice."

"After I finally managed to escape the twat, I was accosted by Draco Malfoy. He said some rubbish and then called Ginny my girlfriend because she tried to defend me. I obviously said that I indeed had a girlfriend but that she was behind him."

"I told Malfoy that I was disappointed in what I saw, he was more pathetic than I thought which made him angry but before anything could happen, Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy both arrived almost at the same time and after exchanging a few words, they started fighting."

"Who won?" asked James.

"Nobody because Hagrid separated them. We then all went home."

"The next day, I arrived at usual but I noticed something." said Sophia. "Everyone was in the living room doing their own thing. Ginny in particular was writing in a diary. It is only when I approached her because I wanted to sit and talk with her that I noticed that, on the back cover, there was a name. Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Ginny had Voldemort's diary? How?"

"What we later figured out is that Lucius Malfoy slipped it in Ginny's book during his fight with Mr. Weasley. Ginny thought that her parents had bought the diary for her. Thank god Sophia was there because I don't think I would have noticed the name on the diary. Either way she had a big crush on me at the time so she would have bolted out of the room blushing had I tried to approach her."

"Once everyone learned who Tom Marvolo Riddle was, Ginny was, understandably, frighten and threw the diary as far away as she could. We called Dumbledore and he took it with him and he destroyed it."

"Seeing how much Ginny was close to breakdown, I went to comfort her. Harry wanted to as well but we both could see that it would make her more uncomfortable, if not feeling worse because it happened in front of Harry."

"After that, I took Sophia to Diagon Alley where I bought a new, proper diary for Ginny and her birthday gift: a Comet 260. After that, I don't really think anything interesting happened, right?"

"Well except you missing the Hogwarts Express and ending up in the Hospital Wing from a Rogue Bludger, both because of Dobby, then no I don't think anything interesting really happened. At least until a few days ago." she added, suddenly nervous.

Neither one said anything after that, leaving James and Lily wondering about what had happened.

"What is it?" asked Lily with concern.

"Well..." started Harry. "A month ago, during the Easter Holidays, Sophia and I... uh... 'experimented'." he said, blushing. He instantly noticed the look of understanding cross James's face."

"You mean that you... and you got..." he said looking at Sophia.

"Yes Dad."

"I don't understand, what happened?" asked Lily.

"I'm pregnant." said Sophia to Lily. Harry didn't think it was possible but Lily's portrait fainted.

"Oh dear. It's never a good sign." said James, looking at his wife.


	18. The Ring

"Lily?" asked James' portrait to his wife's. "Wake up!" he said, shaking her.

"James? I just had the weirdest dream..." she said before she noticed Harry and Sophia, looking at her with concern and even fear. "Oh dear, it wasn't a dream? You really are pregnant?" he asked to the girl with dark brown hair. The young couple nodded.

"How did this happen?"

"Uh... well, you see... we did it before we got 'The Talk' and we didn't know about protection." answered Harry.

"In fact, I even told Harry back then that I wanted us to learn by ourselves... I'm so stupid." said Sophia, covering her eyes in shame. She started sobbing, quietly.

Realising the state her girlfriend was in, Harry took her in his arms and whispered calming words in her ears while rubbing her back. The portraits didn't know how to react. They wanted to take the young couple in a hug but since they were portraits, they couldn't do anything so they waited and let their son calm Sophia himself.

After a few minutes, Harry had calmed Sophia enough that they could turn their attention toward the portraits again. Both looked at them with anticipation and fear of their reactions to the news. Would they be disappointed in their son, in what he had done? Lily seemed to have realised what they were waiting for since she said "How are you feeling with the news?"

"I was a bit afraid at first, mostly of Harry's reaction. Would he blame me? Would he hate me? I told him but he didn't really react how I expected.

"When Sophia told me, I took her in a big hug and then started dancing in her room." he said, smiling.

"He shouted "I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!" while laughing."

"I know we are young..." continued Harry "but it really makes me happy."

The portraits smiled. Lily said "I can't say that I am not disappointed that it happened while you are both so young..." she started. Harry and Sophia hung down their heads in shame "but I am also really happy for both of you and I will help you as much as possible... well as much as a talking portrait can help."

"Same goes for me." said James. "The father/teenager in me want to shout ' _Attaboy_!' for managing to lose your virginity..." he said, earning a glare from Lily "but the more mature part of myself, the adult in me recognise the situation and like Lily, I am ready to help you along the way."

"Always." finished Lily.

"Thanks." said Harry. The couple looked at each other with relief. Both were smiling. "I might need your help a lot Dad, I don't really know anything about fatherhood and I don't want to take Vernon Dursley as a role model." said the young wizard. The adults Potters frowned when they heard the name of their in-law. James nodded none-the-less.

"Is that why you were able to come down to the Family Vault?" asked James, remembering how they got here in the first place.

Harry looked at his father and said "Yes. The goblins said that since I now had an Heir, I was able to claim my Lordship and by extension, the Family Vault. Which remind me." he said before he turned toward Sophia. "I never imagined I would that this early but then again, I'm going to be a father..." he mumbled but everyone in the room heard him. James suddenly grinned. Harry was just too much like James for him not to recognise where Harry was going with this. Harry took Sophia's left hand in both of his and said "I remember on Christmas Holidays, the year we met. Spending the holidays with you and your mother showed me just how much love could be in a family, even one as small as yours. At the Dursleys, it's all materialistic, all about receiving but here, it was all about giving to each other. Theses few weeks were probably the happiest ones I had in my life. When I got back to Hogwarts, I saw the Mirror of Erised. I knew at that moment what I wanted for my future." Harry climbed down the couch, and kneeled in front of Sophia who gasped. Tears started to leak out of her eyes, realising what Harry was doing. "I didn't imagine myself doing what I am currently doing so soon, and I didn't really prepare myself and the occasion might not be really romantic but we have a child on the way so why wait." he added with a smile. He got the velvet box containing his mother's engagement ring out of his bag and, looking at Sophia, he opened it in front of her. "Sophia Clarke, will you marry me?"

Sophia wasn't able to talk. She just happily nodded and extended her left hand so that Harry could place the wedding ring on her hand. Once it was done, Sophia threw herself at Harry and snogged him right then and there, in front of James and Lily's portraits. Both of them were applauding and Lily was crying in happiness just like Sophia was. James even had a tear that leaked on his cheek but if you had asked him, he would have wiped it off before denying the whole thing.

It was on this scene that Florence Clarke arrived to. She first heard people cheering, then saw her daughter on top of her boyfriend, snogging on the floor and then finally noticed the portraits of James and Lily. All four were completely oblivious to the new addition in the room. She proceeded to clear her throat loudly to alert the others of her presence.

Harry and Sophia suddenly froze and their eyes came wide open in shock while Lily shut up and looked for the first time at Mrs. Clarke. James just burst out laughing.

"What is going on here?" she asked with shock. The teens weren't helpful as they were all flustered, trying to climb back up on their feet while still holding each other.

Lily took pity on poor confused Mrs. Clarke and introduced themselves. "My son found our portraits in our Family Vault. This pillock..." she said with a nod to James, "is my husband James Potter. I am Lily Potter, nice to meet you."

Mrs. Clarke's jaw had dropped wide open. "How is this possible?" she asked.

"Well you see, all Lords and Ladies Potters have a portrait made when they take their Lordship or when they marry the Head of House. It updates magically every week thanks to the House Potter ring." he said, showing his hand. James had the Potter ring on his finger, even if the real, physical and magical thing was currently on his son's hand. "Actually Harry, yours is probably being done as we speak since you took your Lordship."

"Oh no!" whined Sophia. "Not two of you at once!" she said, looking at Harry. James and Lily burst out laughing while Harry tried to pretend to look angry, without success and instead grinned.

"Trust me," started Lily. "It would have been a hundred time worse had it been two James running around." she said, still laughing. The Potters (and future Potter) had completely forgotten Mrs. Clarke who had to clear hear throat again to remind them.

"Right, where were we? Oh yes, the portraits." said James. "It also means that you will have your own one Sophia, you know, once you..." but was cut off by Lily who had switched frames and put her hand on her husband's mouth before he could say anything more.

"Shhhh!" said Lily.

"What?" asked an incredulous James.

"She doesn't know yet!" she said, looking at Mrs. Clarke. Understanding flooded James's face.

"Know what?" asked Mrs. Clarke.

"Uh... well... Mum?" asked Sophia. When she had her mother's attention, she lifted her left hand, clearly displaying an engagement ring. Mrs. Clarke, in a very unlady-like fashion, squeaked and took both teenagers in a bone-crushing hug.

"Congratulations!" she said. "I'm so happy for you! Even before this whole ordeal I just knew that you would end up together. In a way, I think it's too early but with a child on the way there is no good reasons to wait any longer." she said.

"That's the same thing Harry said!" laughed James up.

The Potters and Clarkes then spent the next hour talking together, until Harry remembered that Dumbledore would probably worry since he still wasn't back.

"Uh, Mum, Dad?" asked Harry. "What do I do with your portraits?"

"Well, we are yours technically... damn that's weird to say out loud. So yeah, you can do what you want with us." said Lily.

"Any recommendations?"

"Well..." said James with a mischievous smile "you could hang us around in the Gryffindor Common Room."

Lily groaned. "So that you can teach students how to prank people?"

"You know me so well!" said James, cheerful. Lily groaned even further and closed her eyes. When she opened them up again, she saw that her son had the same bloody look that James currently had, the one that both annoyed her to no end and also made butterflies fly in her stomach and made her smile like she had seen a small puppy. "Oh dear..."


	19. Fred and Fred's Party

Harry flooed back to the Headmaster's Office, without the portraits as the family decided to keep them at the Clarkes both to save the student population of James' prank ideas and to avoid giving Professor McGonagall a heart attack.

"Ah, my boy! I trust that everything went well?" asked Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Yes Professor. At Gringotts I claimed the Lord Potter title and got my mother's engagement ring. I then went to Sophia's and we talked. I eventually proposed and she said yes!" said Harry, excitedly. He didn't mention his parent's portraits as he wanted to keep them for himself, for now.

"Magnificent!" said Dumbledore, smiling. "I wish happiness for the new fiancés!"

"Thank you, Professor." said Harry.

"I am sorry that I never talked to you about you and your family's roles in the Wizarding World. I did not expect you to claim your Lordship so soon and had planned on introducing you to the idea next school year. Oh well." said Professor Dumbledore. "If you want, we can meet once a week for the few weeks left in the school year to talk about your Lordship, the Potter Family and its role in the government."

Harry nodded. "I accept."

"Excellent. Let's say every Saturday at 1PM. I think we can manage to have an hour or two to talk about that. After, if you want, you will be free to visit your fiancé. She is, after all, pregnant with your child."

Harry smiled happily. "Thank you, Professor." He then started walking toward the exit until he remembered something. "Professor? I have a question."

"Ask away my dear boy."

"I was wondering about something you said about the blood protection. You said that the protections would end once I left #4 Privet Drive for good. What really is the point about going back to the Dursleys if the protections would be gone a month later? Wouldn't it be safer to stay at Hogwarts or at The Burrow rather than go back there?"

"Sorry if I wasn't clear Harry. I must have forgot to mention that there are currently two types of protections active. The first one is in you. It's this protection that enabled you to defeat Quirrell at the end of your first year. The second is around #4 Privet Drive. It protects the house and its habitants from anyone who would have the intent of harming you. This protection will end the moment you leave #4 for good but the first one will stay active for about another year which is why it is important that you return this summer. If it was just the second protection, the one that protect the home, then I agree, it wouldn't make sense to have send you back this summer if you weren't going to come back at all. But since the first protection, the one in you, will stay active for another year after you leave, this is why it is important that you return."

"So, if I leave on my birthday this summer, I will keep my mother's protection on me until the following birthday?"

"Indeed."

"Alright, thank you. Good night." said Harry as it was quite late now. Harry walked back to Gryffindor Tower. The entrance was, thankfully, on the Seventh Floor which was the same floor were the Headmaster's Office is located. Once he arrived at the entrance, and gave the password, Harry entered and noticed his three best friends (from Hogwarts) sitting around the fireplace.

"Hey guys." he greeted. At once, he saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny's heads turn in his direction.

"Harry!" said Hermione. "We were wondering what took you so long."

"Probably a lot of paperwork to do. It's a bank." said Ron.

"Ron, I don't think Harry spent six hours straight at Gringotts." said Ginny, rolling her eyes. "Actually, he probably went to see a certain someone." she added with a knowing grin.

"You would be right Ginny." answered Harry. "Actually, I did more than just see her, I..." he started but he heard Ron snort and Hermione and Ginny suddenly flush bright red. "Not that!" he said laughing.

"Well what are we supposed to think? It's not like you never did it!" said Ron.

"Right." laughed Harry. "Actually, what I meant to say is that I found something in my vault and I wanted to give to Sophia." he said and left it at that, grinning. He just knew that they would ask questions.

All three looked at Harry with anticipation. When they noticed that he wasn't going to say anything unless they asked, Hermione said "So? Are you going to say what you gave to her?"

Harry, still grinning said "An engagement ring."

Ron's eyes blew wide open, Hermione gasped and Ginny squeaked. "And?" asked the red-headed girl.

"She said yes!" Before he could say anything else, the two girls threw themselves at him, wanting to hug him into oblivion. Ron just closed the distance to Harry and with a hand, clapped his hand on his back, smiling.

"Congrats mate!" he said to the small part of Harry visible under the cloud of red and brown hairs.

"Thanks mate."

"Did we hear that right?" said one voice belonging to a duo of Gryffindor pranksters from behind him. Harry groaned.

"I think we did my dear brother." said a nearly identical voice. By that point, both Hermione and Ginny had stopped hugging the black-haired boy, leaving him able to turn around and face the famous Weasley Twins.

"Gred. Forge."

"Harrikins." said both of them at the same time. "So," started the first twin, which Harry supposed might be George. "Did we hear that right?" he asked.

"Did you really get engaged?" asked Fred.

Harry only grinned. "Maybe I did."

"You know what it means Fred?" asked Fred.

"Fred? Aren't you Fred?" asked George.

"Am I? Are we or are we not Saturdays?" said Fred.

"We are." said George.

"Well you should know dear Fred that you are Fred on Saturdays!" said Fred.

"You are right Fred, except on the third week of the month were between 4PM and 9PM, you are Fred and I am George."

"Oh right, I forgot about that. So, I am Fred and you are George?"

"Indeed, estimate brother of mine."

"Guys!" shouted Harry, laughing.

"Where were we?" asked Fred, no George, no right Fred since it was 8PM on the third Saturday of the month. "Right. You know what that mean George?"

"It means Engagement Party!" said George before he turned around to face the rest of the common room. Harry had a bad feeling about this.

"HEY EVERYONE!" shouted George, getting everyone's attention. "LITTLE HARRY HERE JUST GOT ENGAGED TO HIS GIRLFRIEND WHICH MEANS ENGAGEMENT PARTY!" Harry suddenly saw many people, mostly girls, run toward him to congratulate him. He also heard a few people howl across the room in response to George's announcement, happy that they were getting a party.

Harry moaned. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning, asleep on the couch, with a headache. He hadn't drunk or anything (or at least he didn't think so, you never know with the twins) but the music which had been played on a magical version of a vinyl record player had been so loud that he hadn't even managed to fall asleep until early dawn.

He was surprised that Professor McGonagall hadn't come to stop the party but Harry realised that it had started pretty late and Professor McGonagall's quarters were not that close to the Tower. That and he guessed that nobody in the House wanted to stop the engagement party of the Boy-Who-Lived.

Many had asked during the party just who his new fiancé was and why he had proposed to hear now and not waited until he was older. Harry had said that all their questions would be answered at the start of next school year since her fiancé would attend Hogwarts. He didn't say anything else as he wanted to keep Sophia out of the spotlight for now, especially since it could be dangerous if they knew her identity. Once they were at Hogwarts however, it wouldn't matter anymore.

"Good morning!" said a cheerful Hermione who had come down from the girls' dorms.

"Don't shout!" said Harry, holding his head in his hands.

"Harry James Potter! Did you drink yesterday?" she asked.

"I only drank punch!"

"Ah." said Hermione in understanding. "The twins spiked it with Firewhiskey."

"They did that? I thought people only did that in movies! I didn't think that some people did that for real."

"Well they did, I saw it early on."

"And you didn't tell me why?"

"I thought you knew."

Harry groaned. "Well at least it makes sense. I was wondering why I had a headache and now that I think about it, I don't really remember the end of the party. Do you have any potions against it?"

"I do actually" she said.

"Give me one, please!" he pleaded. Hermione only smiled before she gave him a small vial. Harry quickly gulped it down.

"Thanks." he said in relief. "I'm going to kill the twins once they wake up!" he said before he raised up on his feet. "Damn, I am hungry." he said. "Is Anyone else up?"

"Ginny already went down for lunch."

"Wait, lunch? What time is it?" he asked while taking a glance at the clock on the wall. "Bloody hell!" It was 1PM.

"Yeah. I was there at breakfast this morning. The tables for Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were pretty much filled but the Gryffindor one was completely empty! I think there must have been a total of seven Gryffindor students in the Great Hall during breakfast and five of them were in First Year."

"I suppose McGonagall asked you were was everyone else?"

"She did."

"What did you answered?" asked Harry curiously.

"I said that she should just take a look at the common room." which is exactly what Harry did. There was still the remnant of a party visible. Empty punch cups and Butterbeers bottles, sleeping students in various weird positions across chairs, tables, couch and even the floor and a few lone confetti still flying around the from time to time while the rest was on the ground. You would have to be pretty blind to miss the signs and even then, a blind person would still realise what had happened since you could smell the various drinks in the air. Harry took a look at the House Points counter and saw that Gryffindor had 300 points less than yesterday, putting it from second place to last, 200 points behind Hufflepuff. Harry should have felt ashamed or something that the House had lost so many points as a result of his engagement party but Harry just snorted.

"I don't think Professor McGonagall liked it." he said with a nod toward the House Points counter.

"Merlin's Beard. 300 points?"

"Guess so. Oh well..."

"You aren't bothered? I mean two years ago we lost half of that amount and the whole House ignored us and, in some cases, harassed us."

True, but there is a difference between three First Years loosing 150 points because they were caught outside of the Tower after curfew and the whole House partying during the whole night. Trust me, I'm pretty sure the rest of the Gryffindors won't mind. I think they prefer a party to a useless cup. Anyway, let's go eat!"


	20. Dumbledore Visit the Dursleys

When Harry, Hermione and Neville lost 150 House Points the previous year, Harry learned about the rumor mill at Hogwarts. When Harry accidently revealed himself to be a parselmouth, Harry learned just how quickly it could work. That weekend of Fred and George's Party to celebrate Harry's sudden engagement to his girlfriend, Harry was shown proof once again on how effective the rumor mill is.

When the teachers and the other three houses realised that most of Gryffindor was missing on Sunday morning at breakfast, people started talking. Some people did hear about the exchange between Professor McGonagall and Hermione where the latter told the former to look at the state of the Tower, and when Gryffindor lost 300 points in one go, it became obvious that Gryffindor just had a massive party.

The reason why didn't become clearer until that afternoon when the House of the Lions finally woke up and showed up around the school. Word moved fast: Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, was engaged.

The Daily Prophet quickly learned of the news and already, the newspaper was making wild theories about just who was Harry's fiancé and the most important question: WHY getting married so young? Of course, none of them were even close since nobody expected Harry Potter of dating a muggle and that the main reason why he had proposed now instead of a few years down the line was because she was pregnant. That last theory had run along in the medias but was discarded almost immediately since everyone expected them to marry in a bit more than a year, once both were at least 14: the technically legal age where one could marry.

For the following few weeks until the end of the school year, Harry barely had any time for himself. He was constantly accosted by various people who all asked for more information. Just who had managed to steal Harry Potter's heart? Harry, of course, never said anything and the few who knew never revealed the identity of the future Lady Potter.

Harry had started taking politics lessons with Professor Dumbledore. Having the Chief Warlock of the Wizenmagot as your personal tutor was certainty helpful in learning his position in the British Wizarding Government. Harry learned that he had a voting seat in the Wizenmagot and he learned just what was that governing body, how it acted, how it voted, what were the various procedures, etc. Once learning that Harry could use a proxy to vote for him until he was 25 years old, the youngest age someone could be to claim his seat, Harry asked Arthur Weasley to be the proxy of the Potter seat. Mr. Weasley happily accepted, saying that he would do his best to honour the Potter Family.

Mrs. Weasley was excited to learn about Harry's engagement. Since she knew who Sophia was, she immediately proposed her help to Mrs. Clarke if they needed anything. She accepted and together, with Lily's portrait, the two women and portrait started making plans for the wedding.

While Harry loved Hogwarts, it was with a light heart that he and friends set foot toward one of the carriages that would carry him to the train station at Hogsmeade where the Hogwarts Express was waiting for them. For the first time of his life, Harry was glad to go back to #4 Privet Drive. Of course, Harry was only staying there for a month, after that it was goodbye Dursleys forever! Even then, during that last month, he would spend as much time as possible at #12 instead of #4.

"So, are you ready to go back home?" asked Hermione to Harry while they were sitting in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express with Ron and Ginny.

Harry nodded. "One last summer with the Dursleys and I'm gone. After that, I intend on living either at #12 or The Burrow for the remaining month. Whichever will have me."

"We would have you but we will be in Egypt for most of the summer." said Ginny. Indeed, the Weasleys had recently won the Wizarding Lottery and with the price money, they had decided to visit the Weasley's eldest son William, also known as Bill, in Egypt where he was working for Gringotts. They didn't plan on coming back until the middle of August.

"And when do you plan on getting married?" asked Ron. When are you getting married? That is the question Harry had been asked a hundred times ever since the world learned of his engagement. Harry had not said anything to anyone about the fact that he planned to marry at 13 which, like Professor Dumbledore had told him, was only allowed in special circumstances. He and Sophia hadn't decided yet when exactly they would marry but both knew that they only had a few opportunities if they wanted to do it before their child was born. It was either this summer or during the Christmas Holidays. It was something he planned to talk about to Sophia once they met again.

Sophia, on her part, had left had continued her schooling at the school she attended once she learned that she was pregnant. She only told her best friend Lauren who, just like Harry's friends, had given her support. She had told the school, however, that she wasn't coming back the following year. Harry had wondered if it was possible for other muggles and squibs who were aware of the Wizarding World to attend Hogwarts but he was told by Professor Dumbledore that Sophia was able to come to Hogwarts only because it was a very special and unique occasion. Oh well.

The train ride to London was calm and uneventful. Mostly. Again, some people kept coming to their compartments to ask questions to Harry about his engagement which, again, Harry answered by telling them that they would learn more next school year. Harry just wished that they had learned about locking charms so that they wouldn't be bothered anymore.

Professor Dumbledore had told Harry that he would wait for him at King's Cross as he needed to talk to the Dursleys about Harry's new situation. Harry immediately protested as he didn't want them to learn about the existence of his unborn child and engagement to Sophia but Dumbledore reassured him by telling him that he wasn't planning on telling them that, only that Harry would leave on his birthday and never come back.

"Five minutes until arrival to King's Cross Station, London." announced a voice throughout the train.

"Well, here we are." said Harry who raised on his feet and took his trunk by the handle. "You guys will write to me, right?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course we will, what did you think?"

"Just making sure," said Harry. "You wouldn't want to miss any news, would you?" said Harry who saw the sudden interest in the eyes of his female friends when he said his statement.

"Our family is going in France during the summer as well, we probably won't be back until mid-August, just like the Weasleys." said Hermione.

"So, we won't see each other until August?" said Harry, a bit sad. "I'll miss you guys."

"We will miss you too as well." said Hermione hugging him. Once the train finally stopped at Platform 9 ¾, Harry immediately disembarked and then noticed something he hadn't really expected. Really, he should have, considering the bombshell he had accidently released a few weeks ago.

Reporters.

'Damn!' thought Harry. He had planned on talking to the Weasleys a bit before he left since he wouldn't see them until the end of the summer but he realised now that it wouldn't be possible. The reporters would want all of his attention and he didn't want to put the Weasleys harassed by the reporters and journalists. Instead, Harry sought out Professor Dumbledore. He saw him waiting near the exit toward Muggle King's Cross Station and it was clear in his face that he was enjoying the situation.

Harry quickly walked toward the Headmaster, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed but, about half-way through, he heard a shout.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter!" Harry groaned. Suddenly, about 10 different reporters all converged in his direction. Harry sent a pleading look toward Professor Dumbledore but the old man was chuckling!

"NO COMMENTS!" shouted Harry while running toward the exit. Professor Dumbledore took pity on him as he quickly approached him and the reporters and told them off in a very Dumbledore-way. The duo then crossed to the muggle side and Harry noticed that the moment Professor Dumbledore crossed the barrier, his clothes changed from his dark red robes to an old business suit from the 1930s. Harry looked around the station and saw that the Dursleys were not present.

"Harry, I told your relatives that I will bring you there. Before we do however, we must get away from the crowd." he said to Harry once he asked Dumbledore.

"How will we go there, Professor? I doubt that we will go by car..."

Dumbledore chuckled. "You would be right. We will Apparate there, hence why we need to get out of the crowd. At that point, Harry and Dumbledore had walked out of the station and were walking on the walkway. They went into the first alleyway they saw, which was also one of King's Cross Apparitions points for witches and wizards which meant that Muggles wouldn't notice any magic done at that location.

"Hold tight." said Dumbledore, presenting his arm to his student. Harry gripped Dumbledore's arm and held as tightly as possible. All of a sudden, Harry felt like he had just been squeezed into a rubber tube. It was extremely uncomfortable. The sensation stopped as quickly as it came and Harry immediately dropped to his knees, panting. When he opened his eyes, Harry saw that he was in #4 Privet Drive's backyard.

"I think I prefer flying, Professor."

"Yes, it can be quite horrible the first time but you quickly get used to it." he answered before he walked toward the back door. Harry realised that the Dursleys probably wouldn't like having visitors arriving from the back instead of the front door. Dumbledore knocked on the door and waited.

"What are you lot doing out there?" asked Vernon Dursley, seeing the two wizards standing in his backyard.

"Good afternoon. You must be Mr. Dursley. As you should know, I did send a letter announcing that I would be coming with young Harry here." said Dumbledore pleasantly.

"Yes, yes come inside, quick!" barked Vernon, probably afraid of the wizards being spotted by the neighbours.

Dumbledore quickly entered, followed by Harry. They ended up in the kitchen. Dumbledore took a look around and said "It has been a long time since I last visited." Looking at the wall, he said "I'm not sure I like the colour white but as they say, everyone has their own style!"

"What are YOU doing here?" asked Petunia to Dumbledore, who had just entered the kitchen as well.

"Ah, this must be Petunia!" said Dumbledore like he was greeting an old friend, arms wide open. Of course, Petunia just looked at him like he was contaminating her home. "I am Albus Dumbledore, we have corresponded before, of course. May we go to the parlour? We have much to discuss."

Vernon grumbled but didn't stop Dumbledore from going to the parlour. The Headmaster was followed by Harry and then the two adults Dursleys. Harry realised that Dudley wasn't present which meant that he was probably somewhere outside bullying children.

"What do you want then?" asked Petunia rudely.

"It is simple, really. I am here to tell you that our arrangement changed. Harry, here, will stay with you until his birthday, by which point he will leave your home for good. I know it is different from what I said in the letter I left with Harry on the First of November 1981 but circumstances have changed."

"So, we are rid of the freak in one month?" asked Vernon.

Immediately, Professor Dumbledore's face grew cold and he withdrew his wand. "I would appreciate if you didn't call us freaks." said Dumbledore, scaring the shit out of the Dursleys. As quickly as it came, his coldness left and Dumbledore was back as the gently grandfather figure he was known as. "Like I did say, Harry will only have to stay here until his birthday. Until then, I don't want to hear about Harry being mistreated like he was last summer. Oh yes, I know how you barely fed him and locked him in his room. If you ignore each other and let Harry be, then there shouldn't be any problems. After all, it is only for one month, it should not be too hard, wouldn't it?" said Dumbledore, waving in wand around, not particularly doing it in any precise movements but enough to scare the Dursleys even more.

"I will take your silence for a yes!" said Dumbledore with a smile when the white-faced Dursleys didn't say anything. He raised up on his feet. "Contact me once you left #4 Privet Drive." said Dumbledore to his student. Harry nodded. "Well, time for me to be off. Until we meet again." he said to the Dursleys who looked at the elderly man like it was the last thing they wanted. "Harry." he said with a good-bye nod of the head before he left by the way he came in: the back door that opened on the backyard. Harry quickly put his trunk in his room and started counting down the days until his birthday. He couldn't wait to leave this place forever.


	21. Marge Dursley, Flying Balloon

The next morning, Harry left the house without saying anything to the Dursleys and walked in direction of #12 Privet Drive. Harry and Sophia had met every Saturday of the previous month. They would spend time together, talking to the portraits and each other, about nothing and everything. Their favourite subject was their upcoming wedding. The couple had decided to marry at the end of the summer since a Christmas wedding wouldn't be too practical with their child on the way.

Harry and Sophia would frequently get the visit of Mrs. Clarke, who had asked Harry to just call her Florence, and Mrs. Weasley. The two women would talk about wedding plans with the couple. Both Harry and Sophia wanted a small ceremony, just something for family and best friends. They had said that the wedding would only be for the Wizarding World and that they planned on having a bigger wedding in the Muggle World once they were considered adults. Today however, they wouldn't think about it. It was their first day together that summer and Harry planned on spending as much time as possible with his fiancé. He was glad that the public didn't know where he was living!

When Harry arrived at #12, he knocked. It didn't take long before the door opened and someone lunged themselves over him. Harry had been taken in a bone-crushing hug by a girl with dark-brown hair and dark emerald eyes. Sophia was simply beaming at him.

"Good morning Sophia!" said Harry happily.

"Hello, dear fiancé of mine!" she greeted before she grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him inside. Harry noticed that Sophia's stomach was already starting to grow. It wasn't that noticeable yet but if you knew Sophia enough, which Harry certainly did, you could see a small difference.

"Are you alright? Do you need anything?" asked Harry. Sophia was perfectly fine, as always, but Harry couldn't help but worry every time he saw her.

Like every other Saturday since they learned about Sophia's pregnancy, she rolled her eyes and answered "Yes Harry and no I don't need anything."

"Just wanted to ask." Harry defended himself.

"I know, you just want to help me. You are just being you and I love you." said Sophia before she kissed him.

They kissed for a few minutes before Harry asked "Are you free today?"

Confused, Sophia answered "Of course I am. Why are you asking?"

"Well, you see, I realised not long ago that we never really went on what other people would call a 'date' and today I want to bring you to the cinema before we go to eat somewhere and come back here." said Harry, smiling.

"I like your idea. Take me to the cinema Mr. Potter!" she finished, laughing.

After telling their plans to Florence, Harry and Sophia left and started walking toward the closest shopping centre which was a good 20 minutes away.

When they arrived to the cinema, the couple took a look at the list of available movies and were left to decide which one to watch.

"What about this one?" asked Sophia.

"Jurassic Park?"

"Yes, I heard a few people say that it's a really good movie."

"Alright." Harry however was interested in another film. "What about this one? I think it's based on the game..."

"Super Mario Brothers?"

An employee who was passing by couldn't help but give them an advice. "I wouldn't watch Super Mario Brothers." she said. "It's utter crap. I honestly don't know why it's still showing here."

"Ah." said Harry, disappointed. Sophia only giggled. "Well thanks then, we will avoid it."

"No problem." said the employee before she walked away to continue whatever she was doing.

"So, Jurassic Park then?" asked Sophia smugly.

"Yes dear." answered her fiancé, rolling his eyes.

"You better get used to saying that." said Sophia teasingly before kissing him.

A few hours later, Harry and Sophia came out of the cinema.

"That was brilliant. Good thing we watched that movie and not the other one!" said Harry, forgetting that he had been the one to propose the other one.

Sophia laughed. "Where next then?"

"I don't know, where do you want to eat?"

She hesitated. "Let's go get some sandwiches. It's important that I eat something healthy, after all."

After eating a few excellent sandwiches, the couple made its way back home. Sophia had called it a good date which made Harry happy.

"BOY! GET DOWN HERE." shouted Uncle Vernon.

It had been three weeks since Harry had come back from Hogwarts. Thanks to Dumbledore's visit, and the promises that Harry wouldn't come back, the Dursleys had actually treated Harry decently although it was obvious that they didn't like doing it at all.

Harry had just come back from #12. Harry spent as much time as possible at the Clarkes, planning the upcoming wedding and trying his best to be there for the mother-to-be and helping her for anything she need help.

Uncle Vernon hadn't really said anything to Harry in the three weeks he had been back so Harry was really curious why he had been asked to come down. When he entered the parlour, he found Vernon dressed in a coat with his car keys in his hands.

When he saw Harry enter the room, Vernon said "I'm going to get Aunt Marge. She is going to stay here for a week."

Harry palled. Harry had two weeks left at the Dursleys and it just so happen that one of those weeks will see Marge Dursley at #4 Privet Drive. Harry knew that with Aunt Marge there, there wouldn't be a lot of opportunities to leave the house. There is only one thing Marge liked about Harry and it was that she liked Harry when he was in her sight. When she could see him, she would taunt him and try to make his life miserable. That and the fact that she wasn't aware of Dumbledore's threats meant that the Dursleys as a whole would probably come back to their old habits, at least while she was there. In short, it meant that Harry wouldn't have a lot of opportunities to leave the house.

Harry was seriously considering leaving right then and there but decided to wait and see. If it was becoming unbearable, he would leave #4 Privet Drive early and never come back. Harry was so deep in thoughts that he barely heard Vernon warn him about using his 'abnormality' in Marge's presence.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." answered Harry by reflex. By the time Harry came back, Vernon had already left to collect his sister. He went back to his bedroom. Hedwig had arrived back that same day with letters from Ron and Ginny. They had sent him an issue of the Daily Prophet from a few days ago where the whole Weasley Family was proudly displayed while they were visiting Egypt.

Harry wrote a short letter to Sophia in which he told her that Marge was visiting and would probably mean that his time outside the house would be limited while she was there.

It didn't take long for her to get on his case once she had arrived. Like usual, the first time she laid eyes on him, she said that he was a good-for-nothing penny-less criminal boy that sucked dry the generosity of her family. Harry had to force himself not to blurt out that he was a Lord, at least in the Wizarding World, that he had a lot of money and that the Dursleys were anything but generous. Instead, he didn't say a word and just ignored her.

It went on for another six days like that. Harry had only managed to come out of the house twice which had been on day 2 and day 3. On the last day of the week, Harry was completely fed up with the Dursleys while he missed Sophia terribly.

On the evening of the last day, Marge ranted on and on about Harry's parents. Vernon and Petunia knew that Harry didn't really have anything to lose at that point since he was scheduled to leave in a week anyway and punishing him would just bring that old bearded fool to their doorsteps. They had also learned early-on that Harry was now allowed to do magic outside of school, they didn't know why but they just knew he could so they really had nothing that they could do against him. They only prayed that Marge wouldn't go too far and make Harry use his magic in anger.

"This Potter, you never told me what he did?" asked Marge in the middle of her ranting.

Vernon and Petunia looked slightly at Harry. They couldn't exactly tell the true since not only would it be unbelievable but it would counteract everything they had said about the Potters. One look at Harry however made them realise that they couldn't insult his father either since it would just make him become even more angry. So, Vernon simply said "He was unemployed." which was true. After all, it wasn't possible to work when you were into hiding.

Marge however just took it differently. "As I expected! A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who..." but she was cut off by Harry.

"He was not."

Seeing how things were about to turn out, Vernon offered more brandy to the already slightly drunk Marge before ordering Harry to go to his room but Marge told him to stay there. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash and drunk, I expect."

Harry had enough. "THEY DIDN'T DIE IN A CAR CRASH!" he shouted.

"They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge. She was about to say something else but she stopped speaking. Marge was swelling and started expanding like a balloon. Harry knew that he had just done accidental magic and that his relatives would be completely angry at him and would try to punish him, Dumbledore or not. He didn't wait and went to his room to take his trunk. His things were already packed so he only had to take the trunk and leave. He left by the front door before Vernon could get to him and started walking toward #12. Barely had he arrived on the walkway that he saw a huge mass raise from behind the house. Harry almost burst out laughing when he realised that it was Marge Dursley floating away.

Vernon rushed out of the front door. "COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"

"She got what she deserved. I'm done with this place and I'm never going back!" answered Harry before turning his back on Number 4 Privet Drive. At that moment, the wards around Number 4 failed. The house was now unprotected.

Harry carried his trunk toward Sophia's home. He arrived a few minutes later and to his surprise, Sophia was there, sitting in front of the door.

"Harry!" she reacted once she saw him. She threw herself in his arms and kissed him.

"Hey Sophia." he said smiling.

"What are you doing here?" she first asked. When she saw his trunk, she added "What happened?"

Harry was trying to stifle his laugher. Looking at the sky, he pointed toward a floating sphere. "You see that thing over there?"

"Yes?"

"That might be Marge Dursley."

Sophia looked at him and then back at Marge and burst out laughing. Harry quickly followed her. "I'm guessing you are done with the Dursleys then?"

"Yep. I'm never seeing them again." he said, grinning. Sophia kissed him happily. She had always hated them from the moment she met Harry because of the way they treated him. She was as happy as Harry was that he would no longer see them. They snogged for a few minutes before they both sat on the porch.

Unbeknown to them, a big black dog had found its way toward Privet Drive and had just spotted Harry snogging a girl. The dog in question wanted to howl approvingly. It stayed hidden in a bush. The dog wanted to see more of his godson before he continued his travel north. Of course, he hadn't expected to hear what he heard next.

"I just realised something." said Harry.

"What is it?"

"We never thought about a name."

Sophia held her hand on her stomach. It was continuing to grow and had started to be noticeable because of her small figure.

"Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" she asked.

'Wait what?' thought the dog. 'What the hell are they talking about? She can't be...'

"I don't know and I personally don't mind which one it is personally." said Harry. "What about you?"

"I think I would prefer a girl. I'm not saying that I wouldn't love our child if he was a boy. I would love him as much but I think I might slightly prefer if it was a girl."

"If it's a girl it means that I will have to play the role of overprotective-father in my late 20s!" said Harry which earned him a friendly slap on the arm from a smirking Sophia.

"How do you think my late father would have reacted if he learned that you had made his only child and daughter pregnant when she was thirteen?" Harry palled. Sophia laughed and the dog almost barked 'HOLY FUCK!'. The dog then looked at them closer. He noticed that the girl's stomach was a bit larger and bigger that it should be, according to the rest of her body, and she was wearing an engagement ring. Lily's engagement ring. And his godson had the Potter Ring!

"Yeah, he would kill me. Like I need more of those in my life." continued Harry, sombrely.

The mood had quickly dropped. Sophia just kissed him reassuringly.

"I hope that escaped convict won't try to get to me. Apparently, he is a Death Eater and was Voldemort's right-hand man."

"Sirius Black?" asked Sophia. The man, well dog in question looked at the couple with interest.

Harry nodded.

"I'm not sure it's the case." she said with hesitation.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Yesterday, I might have mentioned Sirius Black in front of your parent's portraits. James went on a rant on how Sirius was his best friend, his brother in everything but blood and he didn't believe one second that Sirius committed the crimes he was accused from."

"It's possible. We know that Pettigrew was our Secret-Keeper but it's the thirteen deaths that concern me. Dad told us that he would never betray us, fine but wouldn't it be possible that in his grief he tried to kill Pettigrew and accidently killed twelve others at the same time? Or maybe he just went mental and didn't care. It is said in the paper that he was found laughing on the scene of the crime."

"It isn't true." said a new voice hoarsely. Harry withdrew his wand and pointed it at the voice, putting himself between Sophia and the newcomer. The fiancés recognised the man instantly from the multiple pictures found in the Daily Prophet.

Sirius Black looked at his godson and fiancé and said "I didn't kill those people. I didn't kill anyone. Peter Pettigrew did before faking his death and framing me."


	22. The Black Dog

"Do you have any proofs of what you are claiming?" asked Harry, his wand pointed at Sirius Black.

"I have a proof that Pettigrew is still alive..." said Sirius before he took a piece of parchment out of his pocket. It was the front page of the Daily Prophet, the edition where the Weasleys where featured in.

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Sophia with confusion.

"The rat, on the boy's shoulder." said Sirius, pointing at Scabbers who was perched on Ron.

While Harry looked at Sirius like he had grown two heads, Sophia gasped.

"Sophia?"

"The portrait of your father said that he and his friends were Animagus and that Peter had the form of a rat!"

"Yes..." said Sirius. "When I learned of what happened to you, I looked for Peter. I didn't know if he had been tortured or if he gave the Secret willingly. When I found him, I didn't even have time to ask anything before he shouted "HOW COULD YOU SIRIUS? HOW COULD YOU BETRAY THE POTTERS?" and then blew up the street. The rat cut his finger before he fled in the sewers thanks to his Animagus form..."

Harry and Sophia's eyes widened. "And Scabbers is missing a toe!" they said at the same time.

"I could recognise Peter anywhere, I saw him transform too many times for me to count." said Sirius, still holding the picture.

"So, it's true then? You are innocent?"

Sirius nodded but before anyone could say anything else, they heard the distant sound of Apparition.

"Quick, hide!" whispered Sophia. Sirius didn't need to be told has he had already transformed back into his Animagus form. Meanwhile, Harry took a look at the direction of the sound. Harry noticed that three wizards had apparated in front of #4 Privet Drive. Two had brooms and took off and flew toward Aunt Marge while the last one walked toward his former home. Harry realised who they were and why they were here. He snorted. "I forgot about her."

The trio watched from far away the two wizards on brooms approach Aunt Marge. They heard a faint, distant cry that Harry recognised as Marge's. Harry and Sophia had to stifle their laughter as Sirius looked with confusion. Harry noticed and said to Sirius "That balloon is Marge Dursley, my Uncle's sister. She insulted my parents and I might have done some accidental magic and here she is." If a dog could laugh, Sirius would certainly had done so.

"It's probably better if enter the house. We wouldn't want them to spot us and try to obliviate us." said Harry. "They don't know that you know about magic." he added, looking at his fiancé.

The trio entered the house. "Mum! Harry's here!" said Sophia loudly. Florence arrived from upstairs. "Welcome Harry!" she said.

"Hello Florence!" said Harry. Harry, Sophia and Florence then heard a very loud pair of gasps from the parlour followed by James' loud cry of "PADFOOT!".

"Ah, yes, I think Sirius found them." said Sophia, chuckling. She entered the parlour, followed by her fiancé and mother.

"James!" gasped Sirius emotionally. He had transformed back and was now on his knees, tearing up at the sight of his best friends' portraits. "Lily!"

"Sirius!" said Lily. "What is it that we heard about you killing twelve people?"

Sirius flinched at Lily's tone and said, pleading "It wasn't me, Lily-Flower, it was Wormtail! He framed me!"

"What happened Padfoot?" asked James. Sirius repeated what he had told to Harry and Sophia a few minutes prior.

"That bastard! I knew that rat was a traitor!" said an outraged James. "I always believed in your innocence Padfoot." he added.

"Thanks." said Sirius with a smile. He knew that portraits were just an imitation of a real person but even hearing it from a portrait of his best friend made him feel better.

"So, that's Sirius Black?" asked Florence. She hadn't really known the story behind Voldemort's attack on Harry's parents but she had heard that Sirius Black was one of Voldemort's main supporters. Of course, that idea had been completely shattered when she saw Sirius plead to the portraits to believe him.

The fireplace then flared green and Albus Dumbledore came out of it. "Ah, Harry, I was wondering if you had come here and Sirius, my boy, long time no see!" greeted Dumbledore before it suddenly clicked that it was the supposed mass-murderer and Azkaban escapee Sirius Black, on his knees and in front of James and Lily's portraits. Dumbledore's eyes comically widened before he rapidly withdrew his wand.

"STOP!" shouted multiple voices all around him. Sirius looked at Dumbledore with fear.

"He's innocent!" shouted Harry and Sophia.

"That's nonsense Harry, he betrayed your parents!"

"No Albus, Peter Pettigrew did!" said Lily loudly.

"What?"

"Peter was our Secret-Keeper, not Sirius. And Sirius didn't kill those twelve muggles, Peter did!" said James.

"Peter is still alive!" said Harry. "Sirius, show him the Daily Prophet."

Sirius withdrew his page of the newspaper before giving it to the Headmaster. "Sirius, Peter and I became Animagi so that we could be with Remus for... well you know what. My form was a stag, Sirius is a big black dog and Peter is a rat." said James with a nod toward the newspaper.

"Albus, Peter is the one to have killed those people, not I. Peter cut his finger before he escaped in his Animagus form."

"And Ron's rat Scabbers is missing a toe on his finger!" said Sophia.

Dumbledore looked around the room and then back at Sirius and the newspaper. It made sense. Albus had never understood how Sirius could have betrayed the Potters since he and James had been closer than brothers even since their first year at Hogwarts. Sirius had also always been fighting against Voldemort and pureblood ideals, to the point where he was kicked out of his own family. To betray James, Lily and his own godson Harry never made sense to Dumbledore and if what Sirius said was true, and a huge miscarriage of justice had been done. Albus knew that Sirius had never received a trial but at the time, there were so many things happening all at once that Sirius had laid forgotten in Azkaban. It's only when he had escaped that Albus remembered that Sirius was never even tried.

"Would you consent to be interrogated under Veritaserum?"

"Yes!" said Sirius with excitation, knowing that it would confirm his claims.

"Alright, everyone waits here, I will Floo Severus..."

"Oh no..." groaned Harry.

A Floo call later and Severus Snape came out of the fireplace. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Potter and Black. Already harbouring a convicted criminal, are we?" With a look to Sophia, he added "The future Mrs. Potter, I presume? I never understood what people could see in Potters. I hope the young Miss will realise her mistake before it is too late." sneered the Potions Master.

Harry and Sophia looked at Snape with anger but before they could say anything, Lily's portrait said "Shut-up Severus!" which instantly froze Snape. His jaw dropped to the floor when he found the portrait.

"Yeah, shut-up Snivellus!" added both James and Sirius at the same time.

"Wow, I've never seen Snape show any emotions except anger or indifference." whispered Harry to his fiancé.

"L-Lily?"

"Wrong!" said Lily. "Lily is dead. I'm her portrait."

"How is that possible?"

"Every Lord Potter get a portrait, including their wives." said James smugly, knowing that it would annoy Snape to remind him that Lily had married James.

"How is it that you treat my son like crap in your Potions classes?" asked Lily with a cold tone. James slowly backed away from her while Sirius looked at them with wide-eyes.

"The brat has probably lied to you..."

"SILENCE!" shouted Lily. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL MY SON A BRAT. WASN'T IT ENOUGH THAT YOU CALLED ME A MUDBLOOD, NOW YOU TREAT MY SON LIKE SHIT AS WELL? DID OUR FRIENDSHIP MEAN SO LITTLE TO YOU?"

Snape flinched.

"OR IS IT BECAUSE JAMES IS HIS FATHER AND YOU CAN'T GET PASS BEYOND HOW HE LOOK? You know what? I don't even want to know so just give Albus the Veritaserum and GET THE FUCK OUT!"

Snape quickly dropped the vial in Dumbledore's hand before he ran toward the fireplace and Flooed away. Nobody said a thing during the next minute.

"Blimey." finally said Harry, looking at his mother's portrait with wide eyes.

Lily looked at her son and future daughter-in-law before she said "Sorry you had to see that. I just had the urge to shout at him ever since you told me about how he treated you. Now, if I could get hold of Petunia..."

"Yeah, I don't think it will be possible Mum. Not since today, I don't think the Dursleys would like to see my face again." said Harry which earned him a few snickers from Sophia and Sirius.

"Right." said Dumbledore, clearing his throat. "We have the Veritaserum so Sirius, open your mouth."

Sirius did and Dumbledore dropped three drops of Veritaserum in it.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Who are your parents?"

"Orion Arcturus Black and Walburga Irma Black née Black." answered Sirius. The youngsters' eyes widened when they heard that Sirius' parents were cousins from the same family.

"Were you the Secret-Keeper of the Potters?"

"No."

"Did you betray the Potters to Lord Voldemort or his Death Eaters?"

"No."

"Who was the Secret-Keeper of the Potters?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Did you blow up Origin Street on November the First 1991 and murder Peter Pettigrew and twelve other victims?"

"No."

"Who did it?"

"Peter Pettigrew." finished Sirius before he came out of his trance.

"Well, it confirms that you are indeed innocent." said Dumbledore.

Harry smiled. He had just got back his godfather!

Sirius smiled as well before he turned to Harry and Sophia. "Now, why the hell did I heard that your young lady here is pregnant with your child?" asked Sirius which made the two teens blush and the adults chuckle.


	23. Ultrasounds and Embarrassements

After Sirius had been proven innocent under Veritaserum, Florence offered Sirius a place to stay until he was declared innocent. The group knew that they couldn't do anything until the Weasleys came back from Egypt so meanwhile, Sirius rested with Harry and the Clarkes.

Dumbledore restarted the politics and wizarding customs classes he had with Harry but this time, they were joined by Sirius and Sophia. Sirius helped Dumbledore teach Harry and Sophia the specifics of the role of Lord and Lady Potter and how it would become important as they become older.

In a session where they were being taught about Honour Duels, Harry remembered that Dobby hadn't been freed yet. Harry realised that the Honour Duels would be an excellent way of freeing Dobby. He just knew that Malfoy would insult Sophia and him once school started again, especially when they learned that Sophia was pregnant. It's just not something you could hide. Dobby being free would mean that Harry could hire him to work for him and help both Sophia and him with the baby, once it had arrived.

Another thing that Harry thought about was: who should become the child's godparents? Harry was almost tempted to offer Sirius the job but he decided instead to name someone else. Sirius was already Harry's godfather and so would become an Uncle to the baby either way. Harry knew that the decision was too important to make by himself and so one day when they were cuddling in front of the television, Harry asked her.

"Who should we name as godparents?"

"Who do you have in mind?" she replied, looking at him.

"I don't really have anyone in mind for the role of godfather but for godmother I think both Hermione and Ginny could do the job... I would suggest Lauren as well but I don't know her enough to make the suggestion."

"All three would be good godmothers. I think that Ginny might be the best. Lauren is far from the rest of our circle of friends while Hermione is from a Muggle family which might make things harder for her role as godmother. I'm surprised that you haven't suggested Ron for the role of godfather however."

"I thought about it and maybe it would be a good idea but I feel like Ron would be a better Uncle/Big Brother figure than godfather. I'm taking my own experience into account so that if for some reason our child is orphaned, then he could live with one or both of his godparents or their families."

"That make senses. We still have a few months to talk about it so it isn't as important."

"True." said Harry before they turned back to the movie they were watching.

The wedding was coming closer and closer. The date had been scheduled for August 20th, five days after the Weasleys would come back from Egypt. Hermione, who was spending part of her summer in France was planned on coming back in the first week of August. Just like Florence had done, Mr. and Mrs. Granger had connected their fireplace to the Floo Network so that Hermione would be able to visit as much as she wanted.

Harry's birthday arrived and both he and Sophia received many gifts from friends and families. Sophia was surprised to be included until they started opening their gifts. Nearly everything was baby items. Harry couldn't be gladder. Raising a baby wasn't something he was familiar with, for obvious reasons, so he really appreciated all the help others gave him. His best gift had been a collection of parenthood books from Hermione. Some were muggles while some were magical. It couldn't hurt to have knowledge from both worlds.

* * *

Sophia, Harry and Florence were currently sitting in the waiting room of the nearby Hospital. Sophia had come to the Hospital every two weeks for regular appointments and follow-ups on her pregnancy. Once Harry had come back to Hogwarts, he had accompanied her for every one of them. That day, Sophia was set to receive their first Ultrasound of her pregnancy. Both were excited to learn whether they were having a boy or a girl. Unlike some couples (and nearly every Wizarding ones), they wanted to know early on which gender their baby would be.

"Sophia Clarke!" announced a familiar voice. The voice was Dr. Smythe's. The young couple liked Dr. Smythe and they had a friendly relationship. Dr. Smythe admired the young couple who wasn't seeing the teenage pregnancy as a burden but as a dream come true, although one that had come earlier that they expected.

"Hello Doctor." they greeted. Dr. Smythe led the couple toward one of the rooms. Rapidly enough, Sophia was lying on her back, her belly uncovered. Harry didn't know why but he couldn't help but think that Sophia looked sexy when she was pregnant.

Dr. Smythe slowly rubbed a warm gel on Sophia's abdomen and once they were ready, she started the scan. It took a bit of time but after a few minutes, the Doctor found what she was looking for.

"Ah! There it is." she said, looking at the screen. Sophia, Harry and Florence could see the small shape. It was their baby! Harry and Sophia couldn't help but grin goofily at each other.

"Wait, hold on!" said Dr. Smythe in shock. The grins rapidly left the young couple's face as they were suddenly anxious.

"What is it, Doctor?" asked Harry. "It is something bad?"

"Oh no, nothing bad I can assure you..." she said before moving the probe slightly. "Ah yes, that's what I thought. Congratulations, you are having twins!"

"Twins!?" exclaimed the young couple.

"From what I can see, one boy and one girl." she said, smiling.

"We are having twins!" said Sophia. She was slowly crying tears of happiness. Harry squeezed the hand he was holding. He had tears in his eyes as well but he was grinning like a lunatic. Dr. Smythe showed on the screen where exactly the babies were. Right after she had done so, one of the babies kicked.

"One just kicked!" said Harry.

"I felt that!" said Sophia, smiling.

Dr. Smythe proceeded to check that everything else was in order before they left. As far as she could tell, the babies were healthy.

Florence drove the couple back home. The couple were still grinning when they entered the house, something that neither Sirius nor James and Lily's portraits missed.

"I'm guessing that you are heard good news then?" asked a smiling Lily.

"We are having twins!" said the young couple at the same time.

"Congratulations!" they all answered. Sirius took the young couple in his arms.

"Do you know the genders?" asked James.

"A boy and a girl." answered a grinning Sophia.

"Brilliant!"

"Can we keep it a secret until their birth?" asked Harry to everyone else. "I want to see their reactions when they see that we have twins the day they are born."

They laughed. "Sure, we can do that." said Sophia before she grabbed his arm and led him toward her room. The moment he closed the door, he was grabbed in a massive snog from Sophia. Sophia led him toward her bed before she pushed him down and climbed on him.

"I want to make love to you again." she said rapidly. "We haven't done so since Easter and I want you now!"

"Your wish is my command." answered Harry while they were undressing each other.

Meanwhile, Florence was continuing to talk about the appointment to Sirius and the portraits while the other three were talking about their own experience from when they learned that Lily was pregnant with Harry. Sirius was giving his point of view of the day Harry was born when he suddenly stopped and his eyes widened.

"Sirius?" asked Florence in concern. A few seconds later, they all understood why Sirius had stopped talking. Sirius, thanks to his Animagus form, had better hearing than the average human so he had been the first one to hear Harry and Sophia's moans from upstairs.

"Fuck!" nearly shouted Sirius. "I don't have a wand so I can't put a silencing charm on their room!"

"Harry!" they heard Sophia shout in pleasure from upstairs. Sirius couldn't help but put his fingers in his ears.

"I don't want to hear that... I don't want to hear that..." he muttered, looking at the floor. Florence meanwhile just patiently waiting until they were done. She tried to tune it out as best she could by talking with the portraits but from time to time, they would hear a moan.

The Floo then suddenly flared and Hermione Granger's head appeared in the fireplace. "Hello," she asked. "Are Harry and Sophia here?"

"Unfortunately..." said Sirius, still looking down.

"What do you mean by..."

"YES, YES, YES, FUCK YES HARRY!" suddenly shouted Sophia from her bedroom.

Hermione's jaw dropped and suddenly coughed because of the ashes. Her face was completely red but it wasn't because of the ashes. "I- I will ask later." she said before she suddenly disappeared.

Sirius was now covering his ears with his whole hands. "How much stamina does Harry have?" he said after another shout of pleasure from Sophia. "I thought that teenagers barely lasted a few minutes!"

"Uh, well..." said James. "We Potters always had a bit more stamina than others."

"How much?"

"Well, my first time, which was with Lily, I lasted around fifteen minutes."

"FIFTEEN?" shouted back his friend in shock. "How the hell did you do that?" The only answer he received from James was a shrug of the shoulders while Lily was blushing in remembrance.

The Floo flared again and Dumbledore came out of the fireplace. "Ah, Florence, Sirius!" said Dumbledore happily. "Look who I found!" he said. Someone else then came out of the fireplace... James and Sirius old friend Remus Lupin.

"Sirius! It's you!" said Remus happily. Sirius didn't even move and continued to stare at the floor. Remus misinterpreted the lack of reaction as Sirius not wanting him to be here. He kneeled in front of Sirius and continued. "Sirius, I'm so sorry that I didn't believe in your innocence. I should have known that you would never betray James, Lily and Harry..."

When Sirius still didn't react, Dumbledore said. "I'm sorry Sirius if it is painful to hear but I just want to say that you should hear Remus out before ignoring him."

Sirius slowly lifted his head and smiled at Remus, although it was a very small smile. "Trust me, I'm glad to see you Moony and I don't blame you at all of thinking that."

Remus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before he asked "Thank you. Why do you look so morose then?"

"He's not morose, he's embarrassed." said Florence.

"Why?" asked Dumbledore. Before her could answer, Sophia shouted again but this time, she was joined by Harry.

"FUCK YES HARRY, I'M SO CLOSE HARRY!"

"FUCK YOU'RE SO TIGHT SOPHIA!"

"Because of that." answered Sirius, simply. Remus' eyes almost popped out in shock.

"Ah." said Dumbledore. "Wrong time?"

Sirius and Florence only nodded. And then two loud orgasmic shouts were heard from upstairs.

"HARRRRRY!"

"SOPHIAAA!" finished Harry before everything went quiet in the house.

"Thank god, it's over." muttered Sirius. He looked at the clock. "TWENTY MINUTES!? He lasted TWENTY MINUTES!" Part of him wanted to be proud of his godson but, having just heard the performance live from the living room, he just wanted to forget about it.

A few minutes later, the young couple climbed down the stairs and entered the parlour. They noticed that Sirius and Florence were now joined by Professor Dumbledore and an unknown man. "Hello!" greeted Harry to the man. Both he and Sophia then realised that everyone had a red face and were avoiding their eyes.

"Are you alright?" asked Sophia with concern.

"Next time, please put silencing charms!" said James.

"Silencing Ch... You mean...!?"

"Yeah..." moaned Sirius in despair.

The young couple blushed bright red before Harry said "Well... uh... next time then..." before they quickly left the room.

James cleared his throat. "Good to see you again Moony."

"Thanks James... WAIT, you guys have portraits!?"


	24. Dudley taunt Harry and Sophia

The young couple left the house in embarrassment of having been heard making love by the adults. They didn't know exactly what to do or where to go so they decided to walk toward the park that they had so often visited together.

"Do you know who was the unknown man?" asked Sophia.

Harry shook his head. "I don't. My guess is that it is either someone that came to meet Sirius or someone that Professor Dumbledore want us to meet or possibly both."

"Seems logical." she said. "Merlin's beard!"

"What?"

"The man! The first time he meets us is when he heard us!"

Harry suddenly palled. "Damn, you are right." he said before realisation struck. "Wait, since when do you use wizarding expressions such as 'Merlin's beard'?"

Sophia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I got it all from you." she said, smiling.

Harry and Sophia arrived at the park and they sat on one of the benches.

"Remember the first time we came here?" asked Sophia.

Harry smiled at the memory. "You had moved in a few days prior. I had just completed my last chore, wedding the garden that you grabbed my hand and led me here. We played with the swings and everything. It was the first time that I played in a park with a friend."

"Me too. I had a few friends before we moved here but since we often moved, I never really had any good friends and I never went to the park with one."

"I remember being so happy that day." continued Harry. "For once, I felt like a normal kid. I didn't have to worry about chores or my family. It was just me and you, my new best friend." He then looked straight into Sophia's dark emerald eyes. "You made me happy Sophia. Even a few days after we had met, I was already falling in love with you. I know I already said it a few times, but, while we are only thirteen, I am so bloody proud to be your fiancé, to be the future father of your children. I love you Sophia Clarke, will all my heart and soul." And, slowly, Harry kissed her. It wasn't a passionate kiss but it was one filled of emotions. Emotions of love, happiness and commitment, and promises of a future together. Of course, they already knew that their future would be spent together but it never hurt to remind the other one of it, especially when it warmed their hearts.

Unfortunately for the young fiancés, they had to be interrupted by someone.

"Eww!" shouted a voice that was unfortunately familiar to Harry. "Look at the Freak kissing!"

Slowly, Harry and Sophia let go of each other and turned toward Dudley Dursley and two of his friends.

"Dudley." said Harry in a monotone voice. He was annoyed that Dudley had to interrupt their moment but also surprised and confused that he had done so. Didn't Dudley know that he could now do magic without punishment and that Harry didn't live with them anymore? It's like he still expected his parents to punish Harry if he ever hurt Dudley, even though Harry had now forever left the home of the Dursleys.

"Still here Potter?" asked Dudley in his very annoying taunting voice. "I thought that you wanted to leave. Realised that nobody likes you and you have to sleep in alleyways?" he said, which made his friends laugh.

"Shut up Dursley!" sneered Sophia.

"And who the fuck are you?"

Sophia jumped on her feet, with a firm goal in mind of telling Dudley Dursley exactly what she was thinking of. In the last few months, every time Sophia had left the house, she would be wearing a heavy jumper to hide her growing belly. However, that day, they had left the house in a hurry after embarrassing themselves in front of everyone else. Unfortunately, this time, she was only wearing a blue t-shirt which was pretty skin tight. It was pretty obvious that Sophia was pregnant, something Dudley and his friends noticed almost immediately.

"Is she..?" asked one of Dudley's bookends.

"She is!" said the other one.

"You knocked up a girl Potter!" said Dudley before they all burst out laughing.

Harry jumped on his feet as well and almost withdrew his wand but Sophia put her hand on his arm, stopping him. With one look of the eyes, Harry understood that he should just let Sophia take charge of the situation. Harry also had to remind himself that only he, Sophia and Dudley knew of magic, not Dudley's bookends not anyone else who was outside and would be able to see any show of magic.

"Well," said Sophia. "At least Harry and I got laid, which is more that we could ever say for you three." Harry almost smirked when Dudley and his friends stopped laughing and suddenly looked at Sophia with anger. "When one is bigger than a whale, the second look like he crashed face first into a wall and the third has pimples all around the face, it would be a shock if a girl even liked one of you, much less get into a bed with you. If you must know, Harry is brilliant in bed. He makes me screen in pleasure, something I was fortunate enough to experience a few minutes before we came here!"

Harry almost asked why Sophia was telling them that, but then saw the three idiots' faces. Dudley was making a great imitation of his father Vernon while the other two looked both angry and lost at Sophia's words.

"Shut up, you fucking whore!" shouted Dudley before he walked toward her, his fists clenched.

This time, Harry withdrew his wand and put himself between Sophia and Dudley before putting the tip of his wand under Dudley's chin. Dudley immediately stopped. All his friends saw was Harry Potter getting a wooden stick out of his pocket and pointing it at Dudley. They burst out laughing again. Dudley however understood. He also realised right then and there that there was barely anything preventing Harry from using his magic on him.

"You can't do that!" muttered a surprised Dudley. "They will expel you."

"Not anymore." grinned Harry. "Being a father means that I can do magic as I please, especially to defend the mother of my children."

Dudley slowly backed away. "Dudley?" asked one of the bullies. They hadn't heard was Harry and Dudley had whispered to each other but it was obvious that Dudley looked afraid.

"Let's just go. The Freak is not worth our time." he said before he turned away and walked out of the park. His friends shrugged and followed him, not before sending a last dark glance toward the couple.

Once they were finally alone, Sophia said "I hate him!"

"I know." answered her fiancé simply. Harry put his arms around Sophia and slowly drew her into a hug. Sophia rested her head on his shoulder and sighed in contentment.

"I never answered because of your cousin and his friends, but I love you too with all my heart and soul, Harry James Potter."

* * *

Harry and Sophia came back home nearly an hour after they had left. Just before they entered however, Harry stopped. "Damn!" he said.

"What?" asked Sophia, confused.

"I just realised that Dudley know about your pregnancy. He will obviously tell his mother and Aunt Petunia is probably one of, if not the person that gossip the most. And we are at Privet Drive where everyone gossips. In a few days, everyone will know about the fact that you are pregnant."

"Maybe, but there is nothing we can do." she said.

"I just don't want them to annoy you or your mother with it."

"They won't." she said. When Harry raised his eyebrow, she added "If they do, I have my wonderful fiancé to protect me." with a grin.

Harry smiled back with a goofy grin. He loved being called Sophia's fiancé.

The couple wasn't surprised to see that the unknown man was still present and he, Sirius and Florence were talking with the portraits in the living room. Professor Dumbledore had apparently left however.

"Sophia, Harry!" greeted Florence. "Was about time you came back, we were wondering how much you were embarrassed." she said, grinning. Harry recognised Sophia's grin in Florence's face.

"Sorry if worried you Mum." said Sophia. "We went to the park and talked a bit before we were interrupted by Harry's cousin."

"And Dudley know that Sophia is pregnant and considering who his parents are, it means that everyone in the street will soon know it as well." added Harry.

"That could be a problem, especially with Sirius here. It wouldn't do to have people constantly coming here or spying on you and accidently notice Sirius." said Remus. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Remus Lupin."

"Ah!" said the couple in understanding. "You are Moony!" said Sophia.

"Mr. Moony is honoured to meet you, Miss Clarke." he said with a bow.

"That's future Mrs. Prongslet, Mr. Moony." said a grinning Sirius.

"I had figured that for myself after what I heard when I arrived." said Remus with a grin. Both teens blushed.

"And that's how we want to keep it, for now." said Harry. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Moony."

Hearing Harry say "Uncle Moony" almost send the man back in his memories but before it happened, he focused back on Harry. "Nice to meet you as well Harry." he said before taking both he and Sophia in a hug. "You have no idea how long I waited for this moment."

"So," said Sirius. "You never told us why Albus brought you here. I'm guessing that there is more than simply meeting Harry and I."

"You would be right." said Remus. "My first announcement of the day is that I was hired to be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for this school year."

Sirius looked gobsmacked while Harry and Sophia grinned. "Brilliant!" said Harry.

"I will also help teach Sophia as much as I can. I was once a Mathematics teacher a few years after the war ended so I will be able to help you with that. Albus also asked me to tell you Sophia that you will be able to attend both Care of Magical Creatures and History of Magic with the third years if you want to."

"Really!?" said both teens excitingly.

"Yes. You almost never use magic in those classes since you really just study magical creatures or listen to Binn's boring lectures. If you need to, you will always be partnered with Harry so that he can help you."

"Brilliant!"

"Next, you will also be allowed to take potions lessons with either myself or Professor Dumbledore."

Sophia couldn't stop grinning. It was becoming more and more interesting.

"You will have generic lessons on Magic with either Professor Dumbledore, myself or a few other teachers like Professor McGonagall and Flitwick. Those lessons will be a mix of all of the theory you would learn in other classes, except anything that either require you to perform magic such as spell casting or anything that would be useless for you to know, such as spell theory."

"I can't wait!" grinned Sophia.

"You will also have all the generic classes from secondary school, such as English, French (since you were learning it at school), sciences, chemistry (which will be taught alongside potions), history, geography and mathematics. They will be all taught by various muggleborn or squibs tutors that Professor Dumbledore hired."

At the end, Sophia was almost jumping on her feet and dancing. Harry couldn't help but grin as well. It just brought the point home that Sophia was coming to Hogwarts with them! And they will even be able to share two classes together!


	25. The Return of the Weasleys

Just as Harry predicted, residents all around Privet Drive started paying more attention toward what was happening in Number Twelve. Since they had predicted this outcome, Sirius had left with Remus after the later's visit. Sirius went to Remus' flat where he helped his old friend pack his things before both moved to Hogwarts. The staff, at that point, had all learned about the truth and everyone, excluding Severus Snape, welcomed Sirius. Everyone, including the teachers, ghosts, paintings and House-Elves had been forbidden by the Headmaster to reveal that Sirius was at Hogwarts to anyone who wasn't already in the know. It included visitors, so few that they received during the summer holidays.

It had come handy a few days later when Minister Cornelius Fudge had shown up at Hogwarts. Remus and Sirius, in his Animagus form, had walked right pass the Minister who then met Dumbledore and told him that he would put Dementors around the school to guard it in case Sirius Black showed up. When Dumbledore had told them that, Sirius couldn't stop laughing. How ironic was it that Fudge had walked right past Sirius, in Hogwarts, just before telling Dumbledore that Dementors would be here to guard Hogwarts against him!

Dumbledore hated the idea of having Dementors guarding the school but the Headmaster knew that it was only a matter of time before Peter Pettigrew was uncovered and, if everything went according to plan, would get caught and tried before the school year started. So, for the moment, he let it slide although he indicated strongly to the Minister that he loathed the idea and that at the first sign of trouble, they would have to go.

Meanwhile, Harry and Sophia were being harassed by neighbours. Petunia Dursley had been the first one to visit them. She sneered in Harry and Sophia's faces although Harry saw that it wasn't as bad as usual. Since she was aware of magic, Harry let her in. Sophia didn't understand why he looked happy about it until he led his Aunt in the living room.

"Petunia!" suddenly shouted Lily's portrait. Petunia nearly got a whiplash because of how quickly her head turned.

"L-Lily?"

"Tunie."

"How?"

"Magical portrait. Every member of the Potter family gets one." she answered. She then gave an icy glare to Petunia. Correction, it was so icy that it switched to the other side of the spectrum. Her eyes reflected a volcanic fury! Her glare was even worse that the one she gave to Professor Snape. Harry and Sophia only needed to glance at each other once before they ran upstairs. Harry silenced Sophia's room, now theirs after Harry had proposed. His silencing charms went into effect just in time for Lily's shouts to begin. Since they were now alone in a silenced room, they decided to use the opportunity.

After a satisfying session of love-making, the couple climbed back down in the now quiet house. Petunia had left running a few minutes before. The neighbours had decided not to come talk to the couple for the rest of the day after Petunia had run away screaming.

The neighbours slowly but surely visited the couple. Harry and Sophia would receive a visitor every few hours, much to their annoyance. Most would sneer, especially at Harry because of his reputation as a criminal, thanks to the Dursleys, but a few were friendly to the couple and even a few realised that the stories they learned about Harry had to be false, especially when they realised that they originated from the Dursleys, his own family! It helped that Sophia was seen around Privet Drive as a good and polite child. A few realised that if Harry really was a criminal, their relationship would probably never have existed in the first place.

The neighbours' visits continued for a few more days and the fiancés were becoming more and more annoyed. Then, the Weasleys came back.

* * *

Harry and Sophia were currently sitting on the sofa, watching a cartoon. Correction, the cartoon was playing on the television but neither was watching it. Harry was on his back while Sophia was snogging his brains out. It was now the 12th of August. Their Wedding Ceremony was planned to take place in eight days.

Nearly everything they needed was ready, all that was left to do was to pick their outfits, which they would do. They had planned to marry in Number Twelve's backyard. Dumbledore had assured that there would be magical protections around the house so that no neighbours would come looking around that day. After the wedding, the couple would have a small five days honeymoon in Paris before moving in their Hogwarts married Quarters.

The Floo suddenly flared which caused the wizard and muggle to let go of each other. Both looked at the fireplace and found a familiar face.

"Mrs. Weasley!" said Sophia, blushing at having been found in such a position.

"Hello dears." smiled Mrs. Weasley.

"Are you back in the U.K?" asked Harry.

"We are, we came back yesterday, late evening."

"Brilliant. Do you think we can come over? We have a few questions to ask a few people for the wedding, if you get what I mean." said Sophia, smiling.

"Of course! Just make sure to ask Florence first!"

"Alright, we will call her." answered Harry. The moment Mrs. Weasley's head disappeared from the fireplace, Harry said "Call Florence. I will Floo-Call Professor Dumbledore to tell him that it is time to capture Peter Pettigrew."

Sophia nodded. She went to the telephone while Harry took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it in the fireplace. "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office!" he said loudly. The fire turned green and Harry put his head through it.

It was a weird and interesting sensation. It felt like when he travelled with the regular Floo but he only felt the spin and contractions on the upper half of his body. After a few seconds, Harry saw that he was now in the fireplace of the Headmaster's Office. And he almost burst out laughing.

Professor Dumbledore was currently sitting back on his chair. His feet, which only had colourful socks on them were dangling on the desk. In one arm, Professor Dumbledore was reading a scroll of parchment and in the other, he had a small bowl of Lemons Drops. It was obvious from the movement of his mouth that he was currently sucking on one.

"Professor!" called Harry, loudly.

Harry had barely restrained himself from laughing at the sight of Dumbledore but his reaction definitely broke the dam and he laughed loudly.

Professor Dumbledore obviously wasn't expecting anyone as the moment he heard Harry's voice, he jumped in surprise, sending his Lemon Drops flying all around the room. The Headmaster quickly put his feet back on the ground, hoping that nobody had seen him like that but he had also noticed the laughter and, once he turned toward his direction, saw Harry's face laughing in the fireplace.

"Harry!" said his shocked voice.

"Hello Professor. I'm sorry to have disturbed you, you looked quite comfortable." said Harry, the corners of his lips still twitching.

"Hmm... Right." said Dumbledore, his heart still beating quickly. "What can I do for you, my dear boy?"

"Right! The Weasleys are back from Egypt! We can get Pettigrew!"

"Alright. I am guessing that you and Sophia are about to travel to the Weasleys?"

"Yes sir."

"Then do so but act like nothing is wrong. I will go get Remus and we will come as soon as possible."

"Okay. See you soon, Professor... And don't forget your Lemon Drops!" he said before he burst out laughing again. His head then disappeared, leaving the office quiet.

"Cheeky brat." smirked the Professor. He really liked the boy. Professor Dumbledore had started seeing Harry has his own grandson. Dumbledore sent a Messenger Patronus to Remus before he set about taking back all of the Lemon Drops that had fallen to the ground.

Remus had been talking with Sirius in their quarters when Dumbledore's Pheonix Patronus appeared. "Remus, come to my office as soon as possible. Harry reported that the Weasley Family are back home. It is time."

"Yes!" shouted Sirius, jumping on his feet at the same time than Remus. "Let's go!"

"Wait!" said Remus. Sirius was already walking near the door. "You can't go now, the Weasleys don't know that you are innocent!"

Sirius blinked before he said "Then I'll go as Padfoot!" he said before opening the door and changing in his Animagus form.

"Fine then!" said Remus. His eyes then lit with mischiefs and, with his wand, conjured a leash around Padfoot's neck. Padfoot whined. "Can't have a loose doggie around the Burrow, can't we?"

Padfoot grumbled before he led a laughing Remus out of the room.

A few minutes later, the duo arrived at Dumbledore's Office.

"Sugar Quills!" said Remus to the Gargoyle. The gargoyle let them pass through.

"Come in Remus!" said Dumbledore from his office.

Remus opened the door and heard Dumbledore say "Accio Lemon Drop!"

"Albus?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Ah, Remus and Sirius... Accio Lemon Drop!" and a Lemon Drop flew from somewhere around the room into Dumbledore's hand.

"What are you doing?"

"I have Lemon Drops on the floor and I need to get them all back... Well, no matter. I will do it once we come back. Now it is time to go to the Burrow and capture Peter Pettigrew."

"Alright but why do you have Lemon Drops on the floor?" asked Remus, incredulously.

"Well, Harry called me through the Floo Network and surprised me and I sent my Lemon Drops flying all across the room." muttered the Headmaster.

"Ah!" said Remus, barely containing his laugh. "Shall we go then?"

* * *

Harry came out of the fireplace laughing. Sophia looked at him with confusion. He clarified when he said "Dumbledore wasn't expecting a call, I kind of surprised him."

"I see." she smirked. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, ma'am yes!" said Harry like a soldier. Sophia smacked him on the arm. "Let's go then but pretend that nothing is wrong. Professor Dumbledore and Remus will come soon and will take care of it."

"Wait, before we do, we should invite Hermione as well. I want to take the opportunity to ask her and Ginny to be my bridesmaids."

"Lauren will be your Maid of Honour?"

"Yep."

"Okay. Ron will be my Best Man. I think I will ask the twins as my Groomsmen." he said.

Harry took another pinch of powder and said "Hermione Granger!". He didn't know Hermione's address so instead said her name. The Floo Network would take care of the rest. Harry put his head in the fireplace and, once more, ended up overlooking another place. This time however, he didn't get to scare anyone as Hermione had noticed him right away.

"Harry!"

"Hey Hermione, long time no see!"

"Well, I wanted to talk a few days ago but..." she said, blushing.

"But what?" asked a confused Harry.

"Well... I might have heard you and Sophia..."

"What!?" he almost shouted. "Not you too!"

"Wha..? Me too? What do you mean?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore might have shown up with a guest while Sophia and I were... in bed."

"You... They..." and she burst out laughing.

"Hermione!" whined an embarrassed Harry.

Between hiccups, Hermione said "Sorry... it's just... Dumbledore... heard you!" and she laughed again.

"Yes, yes. Very funny." he groaned. "Anyway!" he said loudly to be sure that Hermione heard him over her own laughter. "The Weasleys are back!"

"What!?" she suddenly said.

"Sophia and I are heading right there! Want to come with us? Sophia want to talk to you by the way."

"Sure, just give me a few minutes!"

"See you soon then!" he said before ending the Floo call.

Back in Privet Drive, Harry asked his fiancé "Ready to go?"

"I am, Harry." answered Sophia before both Flooed away.


	26. Capture of Peter Pettigrew

A few minutes after Mrs. Weasley had called, Harry and Sophia Flooed to the Burrow. When they arrived, the whole Weasley family was waiting for them. Mrs. Weasley looked like she had been pacing in front of the fireplace. Mr. Weasley was sitting on his favourite chair while their children were all sitting somewhere on the three sofas in the room. Harry noticed two red-heads that he had never met before.

"Harry! Sophia!" greeted Mr. Weasley.

"Hello Mr. Weasley, hello everyone else!" said Sophia.

True to Mrs. Weasley's nature, the matriarch of the family took both of the teenagers in bone-crushing hugs, although she was more careful with Sophia. Harry and Sophia were then greeted by everyone else, finishing by the two unknown red-heads, although it wasn't hard to figure out who they were.

"Bill Weasley. First son of the family and Curse-Breaker for Gringotts." said the taller of the two. Bill had long red hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing a distinctive earing in the form of some type of fang.

"Charlie Weasley." introduced the second one. He was shorter than Bill but stockier. He had short red hair and, just like Harry's, looked like a mess. "Second son of Mum and Dad, Dragonologist in Romania and The-Most-Handsome-Weasley-Brother." said Charlie.

"In your dreams!" shouted Fred and George which made Sophia and Ginny giggle.

"Nice to meet the both of you!" said Harry. At that moment, Hermione Flooed-in.

After Hermione greeted everyone else, she asked "So, Harry and Sophia, how is the baby?"

"Not much to say except that he can be annoying at night." giggled Sophia. She almost revealed that they were twins but remembered that Harry wanted to keep that fact a surprise.

"Do you know it's gender?" asked Ginny.

"We do, but we will keep it a surprise." answered Harry. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw both Ginny and Hermione pout in disappointment. Just like his fiancé, he had almost revealed that they were expecting twins but managed to keep the fact for himself.

The young couple was saved from answering further questions that could reveal the secret when Albus Dumbledore, followed by Remus Lupin and, to Harry and Sophia's amusement, a big black dog in a leash.

"Albus, what a surprise!" said Mr. Weasley.

"And Remus! We haven't seen you in years!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry Molly," said Remus, a bit embarrassed "but I was out of the country for a few years."

"Ronald," said Professor Dumbledore. Instantly, everyone else stopped talking. The Weasleys were wondering what the Headmaster wanted with the youngest son of the family while Ron was wondering if he was in trouble, somehow. Of course, as it was Dumbledore, his question hadn't been the one he expected, not at all. "May we see your pet rat Scabbers?" he asked.

"W-What?" he asked, confused.

"The rat." almost growled Remus. "Can we see it?"

"But why?" asked Percy, clearly confused as well. All the Weasley and Hermione were.

"Just bring Scabbers, please." pleaded Harry. "It's important."

"Okay, okay." said Ron before he left the living room and climbed upstairs. He came down a few minutes with a rat in his hands. The moment the rat saw Remus and his Grim looking black dog, he started freaking out. Scabbers managed to jump out of Ron's hands to run toward the door. Of course, Harry had expected something like that and already had his wand withdrawn. The moment the rat jumped out of Ron's grip, he sent a Stunning Spell, a useful spell Professor Dumbledore had taught him in the last few weeks of school.

Harry's Stunning Spell wasn't the only one sent at the rat. Scabbers was hit with three consecutives 'Stupefy's. One from Harry, one from Remus and one from Professor Dumbledore. And all had hit the rat the moment it touched the ground.

"Albus, what is going on?" asked Mr. Weasley with concern.

"Do you recognise it?" asked Dumbledore to Remus. He hadn't really needed to since Remus' dog had sniffed the rat before it started growling loudly.

"It's him. I could recognise him everywhere."

"Albus?"

"Arthur, Molly, I am sorry to tell you that this rat is not a rat but an Animagus."

"What!?" shouted nearly everyone else. The only one who didn't were Remus, Professor Dumbledore, Harry, Sophia, Ron and Ginny. The two youngest Weasleys lack of reaction was simply because they had no idea what an Animagus was.

"Scabbers is an Animagus!?" nearly shouted Percy in outrage.

"We had someone living under our roof all this time!?" said a clearly upset Molly Weasley.

"What's an Animagus?" asked Ginny.

"An Animagus is a wizard that can transform into a specific animal at will." answered Hermione automatically. "Professor McGonagall is one."

"That she is." confirmed Dumbledore. "She has the form of a grey tabby cat."

"Who is Scabbers then?" asked Ron.

"Let's see, shall we?" said Bill. He had already withdrawn his wand the moment the trio had fired at the rat. While he had just met Harry, he knew that if he had done so, he had a good reason so he had immediately pointed his wand at the rat. Bill sent the Animagus Reversal Spell at Scabbers and quickly enough, the rat became a small burly man with a bald patch on the top of his sandy-haired head.

"Is that..." asked Molly.

"But it can't be, Sirius Black killed him!" said Arthur.

"I know for a fact that Sirius Black did not kill him nor did he kill anyone else. This, for those who don't know, is Peter Pettigrew." said Professor Dumbledore. "It is good thing that I brought a vial of Veritaserum and a vial of Anti-Animagus potion with me."

"Are you telling me that Sirius Black is innocent?" asked Percy.

"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying." answered the Headmaster. "I interrogated him myself a few weeks ago. Now, let's see..." he said before dropping three droplets of the Truth-Revealing potion on Peter Pettigrew's tongue. While he and the Weasleys had been talking, Remus and Harry had bound him on a chair. Both had made sure to bind him quite tightly so that he couldn't escape. Remus had then given him a dose of Anti-Animagus potion and Peter was then all ready for the Veritaserum.

"Let's see if it works." said Professor Dumbledore. "What is your name?"

"Peter Brutus Pettigrew."

"Bloody hell, he even has the middle name! How did we not see it sooner?" asked Remus to his dog, shaking his head.

"What is the date of your birth?" asked the Headmaster, ignoring Remus' comment.

"13th of November 1959"

"Were you James and Lily Potter's Secret-Keeper?"

"Yes." he answered. Many gasped before looking for Harry's reaction. Since Harry was merely scowling and didn't look surprised, they assumed that he already knew.

"Did you commit the crimes Sirius Black is accused of doing?"

"Yes."

"So, Sirius Black is really innocent!" said Ginny, her mouth in the shape of an 'O'.

"He is. Sophia and I actually met him." said Harry to Hermione and the Weasley's shock. "He's quite a nice bloke and fun to have around."

"But Harry! That could have been dangerous!"

"Hermione, it wasn't. You even saw him yourself!"

"When? I don't remember seeing him..."

"When you Floo-called a few days ago..." answered Sophia. Both she and Harry were now blushing.

"That was him?" she asked. When the couple nodded, she added a small "Oh." and blushed as well.

"Fred?" asked George. "Why do I feel like there is a story here?"

"I do not know, dear brother of mine. That is something we will have to figure out."

"It was nothing!" said Harry quickly.

"It was just screaming." said Hermione, barely trying to hide her giggle.

"Hermione!" whined Sophia, blushing even harder.

"Oh, so you had a fight?" asked Mrs. Weasley, looking sad.

Remus snorted. "It wasn't that kind of screaming." he said, chuckling.

"Remus!" whined Harry this time.

"It sounded quite pleasurable." added Professor Dumbledore with a tone of mischief.

"PROFESSOR!" shouted the fiancés while everyone else laughed, finally getting it.

"It must have been quite the show!" said Ginny before she burst out laughing.

"Ginny!" whined Sophia, again.

"Is that because of the Lemon-Drops?" asked Harry to Professor Dumbledore.

"It is because of the Lemon-Drops." answered back the chuckling Headmaster. Harry pretended to huff before lifting his chin up. He glanced at Sophia, barely restraining his smile. Sophia decided to add to the mix.

"We wanted to ask you some _Very. Important. Questions._ for the upcoming wedding ceremony but I guess we can always ask others." she said before taking one of Harry's arms and leading him toward the fireplace. On the outside, both looked quite upset and even angry but, on the inside, they were trying very hard not to laugh.

"NO!" "STOP!" shouted many voices. They turned around, seeing the panicked faces of Hermione and Ginny. The rest of the Weasleys barely looked any better. It seemed like the twins were the only ones who knew what they were doing as they were grinning. The couple were trying very hard to contain their laughter.

"Please!" pleaded Hermione. "I'm sorry!" she said. Both she and Ginny were looking down.

Harry and Sophia looked at them with an angry scowl just before they burst out laughing. The twins and Remus weren't far behind.

"W-What's going on?" asked Ginny before she finally caught on. "DON'T DO THAT!"

"It's not funny!" nearly shouted Hermione as well.

Their laughter slowly died out. "We could say the same thing to you, you know." he said, winking at them.

"I'm sorry, I learned my lesson." said Hermione. Ginny nodded, showing she agreed with her.

"Alright then, let's do it properly." said Harry. "Professor?" he asked.

"Yes Harry?"

"We need someone we thrust to officiate the ceremony, can you officiate for us, please?"

"Of course, Harry, you didn't even need to ask!"

"Brilliant!" said Sophia. "Hermione, Ginny, would you be my bridesmaids?"

"YES!" shouted both witches at the same time before taking Sophia in a hug.

"Ron?" asked Harry.

"Yes!" answered Ron.

"Fred, George?"

"Of course, Harrikins!" said the twins.

"Thanks." answered Harry. The three girls were now looking at Harry with wide eyes. "What?" he asked.

"What the hell was that?" asked Sophia.

"Well I asked Ron if he wanted to be my Best-Man and if the twins wanted to be my groomsmen." he said, shrugging. "They said yes."

Sophia didn't even know how to react. How did they even know what he was asking? After a few seconds, she decided at the end to just shrug it. _Men's things_ , she guessed.


	27. Seeker Duel

Shortly after Professor Dumbledore and Remus Lupin had left with Peter Pettigrew, Ginny and Hermione had dragged Sophia in Ginny's bedroom.

"Do you have everything ready for your wedding?" asked Hermione the moment Ginny closed the door. Sophia couldn't help but giggle.

"Nearly everything is set for the wedding." confirmed Sophia. "The only things we really need now are the dresses and outfits."

"You haven't bought yours yet?" asked Ginny. Sophia shook her head.

"I can't exactly buy it in advance with the tw- baby growing in my belly." she corrected herself just in time. "And I wanted Lauren and both of you to be there so that we can all match." she added, grinning.

"Fair enough." grinned the girls. "When do we go?" asked Hermione.

"Tomorrow if possible." she said. "I would have to contact Lauren first to see if she is available."

"Then we shall go tomorrow!" said Ginny. The trio then heard a shriek from downstairs. Ginny and Hermione instantly raised on their feet and looked toward the door with concern.

"Don't worry." said a smirking Sophia. "I think they just saw Padfoot for who he truly is."

"Padfoot?" asked Hermione.

"The black dog. It's Sirius Black. He's an Animagus just like Pettigrew and just like Harry's father was."

"Oh." said Ginny. Then, she smiled mischievously. "So, what was that story about screams with Harry?" she asked. Sophia's blush was enough of an answer.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs, Harry was talking to the Weasleys. "How did you know that Peter Pettigrew was here?" asked Mr. Weasley to the black-haired boy. Harry smirked.

"Show yourself Padfoot." he said. He noticed the twins' eyes lit up in recognition. Did they know the Marauders? He forgot about the twins' reactions when the heard a shriek from Mrs. Weasley and gasps from everyone else. "Do people always react like that?" he asked to his godfather, smiling."

"It isn't rare." said Sirius. "Sirius Orion Black." he said, introducing himself with a blow.

"Also known as Padfoot my Dogfather." added Harry.

"Dogfather?" said Sirius, raising an eyebrow. Harry shrugged.

"S-Sirius Black!" shouted Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes... that's exactly what he said his name was." said Harry, confused.

"Molly..." said Mr. Weasley. "We just had irrefutable proof that Sirius is innocent so relax."

"Are you really Padfoot?" asked Fred Weasley.

"From Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail and Prongs?" continued George.

"One and the same!" grinned Sirius.

"Wicked!" answered both twins at the same time.

"From what I learned from the portraits, the twins are the Marauders' spiritual successors." said Harry to his godfather.

"Brilliant!" said Sirius before he entered a conversation between pranksters.

"Harry..." started Percy. "Did you just send an experienced prankster toward the twins?" Harry grinned. Percy sighed. "I won't have a quiet year as Head-Boy, will I?" he asked.

"You are Head-Boy? Congrats!" he said, shaking his hand.

"Thanks Harry." answered Percy with a small smile.

"Following in his older brother's footsteps?" asked Bill with a friendly slap on the back.

"How you became Head-Boy I will never know." chuckled Percy.

"I personally skipped it, didn't want it." grinned Charlie.

At that moment, the girls left Ginny's room and climbed back down toward the parlour. All three had to take a double-take at seeing Sirius talking with the twins but for different reasons. Ginny and Hermione did because in front of them was Sirius Black. They knew he was innocent but they couldn't help their reaction. Sophia's double take was because she saw him talking with the twins. She groaned.

"What is Sirius doing talking with the twins?" she asked.

"Blame Harry." answered Percy with a grin.

"What?" he said when all three girls looked at him.

"Never mind." said Sophia, barely containing a laugh. "Do you guys want to go fly?" she asked.

"It is safe with the pregnancy?" quickly asked Harry before anyone else could answer. While it was somewhat of a valid question, Sophia couldn't help but roll her eyes. She knew that Harry couldn't help it. Before her, he never had anyone to care about. He knew that she could take care of herself and so had never started acting this way after they had started going together but it had surfaced the moment they learned about her pregnancy. Really, he was just worrying as he didn't want anything to happen to her or their unborn twins.

"I'm sure it's going to be alright if I just fly Harry." smiled Sophia. "Is it?" she asked to Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh yes, don't worry dear." answered the matriarch of the family. "Up until you are eight months along you can fly on broomsticks although I wouldn't recommend it, it isn't really comfortable."

"Then you see Harry, I should be fine, at least for today."

"Okay, I just wanted to be sure. Tell me if you need anything." said Harry.

"You are as bad as your father." barked Sirius, laughing. "He wouldn't leave Lily alone when she was pregnant with you!"

"Harry isn't as bad." said Mrs. Weasley, chuckling. "I remember Lily once complaining that James wouldn't let her out of her sight and was constantly asking if she was alright and if she needed anything."

"To be fair Molly, James and Lily had both just lost their parents and they were in the middle of a war." said Mr. Weasley, effectively silencing the chuckles and giggles around the room.

Seeing where the conversation was going, Charlie asked to Harry. "I heard that you are the youngest Seeker in a century?" At Harry's nod, he grinned. "Let's see how you compare to me!"

"SEEKER DUEL!" shouted George.

"SEEKER DUEL!" repeated Fred. Soon enough, everyone was outside.

Charlie and Harry walked toward the broom shed while everyone sat near the paddock. Charlie took out his old Comet 240, the broom he had let behind when he moved to Romania. Harry took his Nimbus 2000 and the single Golden Snitch that the Weasleys had.

"Now," started Fred who had joined the duo with his brother in the middle of the paddock. "The rules are simple."

"One Snitch, two Seekers." said George.

"The Golden Snitch is released thirty seconds before the Seekers can take off."

"The Seekers must look at each other's eyes the whole time so that the Snitch can hide itself away."

"The Snitch won't fly higher than the tree and won't leave the property."

"The first one to catch it win the duel" said George.

"Everything understood?" asked Fred. Charlie and Harry nodded.

"Seekers, shake your hands." said George loudly. The seekers took each other's hand and shook it. Charlie tried took a strong grab of Harry's hand as if trying to crush it but Harry didn't even react. He saw a sliver of pride at Harry's reaction in Charlie's eyes. "Look at each other's eyes!" said George. When he was sure that they were doing so, George nodded to his twin.

"Seeker, release the Snitch!" ordered Fred. Harry, who was holding it in one arm, let it fly away. While his eyes never left Charlie's, he noticed the Snitch fly up and then go somewhere to his right, toward the tree line.

"Thirty." said George. Harry thought about his plans. The Snitch could go anywhere around the property, just not higher than the trees. Since the trees where nearly as tall as the Burrow, it left a good height margin available. The house was another problem. It was an obstacle in the middle of the property. For all they know, the Snitch could hide on one side and neither could see it unless they were also there.

"Twenty." The rivals never stopped looking at each other, neither one was showing an ounce of emotion. Charlie the second Weasley brother and Harry the fiancé of Sophia had disappeared. In front of each other was Charles Weasley, Dragonologist and Harry Potter, Two times defeater of Voldemort. "Ten!" said George.

Then... "Ready, set, GO!" shouted Fred. Both Seekers immediately took off and flew in opposite directions. Harry decided to take one look around the house right away and flew toward it quickly. Charlie was confused but he didn't think that Harry had seen the Snitch so soon so instead stayed where he was. Harry went to the right side of the house and looked around. Slowly, he made a turn around it and saw no Snitch so he instead flew back toward the paddock.

Both he and Charlie were now slowly flying around the paddock. Both were at the maximum altitude allowed. Then, suddenly, Charlie dived straight down. Harry barely looked at Charlie, knowing that it was a feint. Charlie had made the mistake of looking at him right before flying down. It instantly told him that Charlie was making sure that Harry would see him. Harry decided instead to focus on looking around.

Their spectators were silent. It was Sophia's first-time seeing Harry play Seeker. She had never seen one of his matches at Hogwarts and every time they had played here, at the Burrow, he had been Chaser. Sophia could see now that the role of Seeker was more technical that she first thought.

Meanwhile, Charlie had recovered from his dive and had raised back up to Harry's altitude. He was annoyed that Harry hadn't taken the bait and instead decided to fly close to him to annoy him and reduce his chances of spotting the snitch. Harry took that opportunity for a feint of his own and, without looking at Charlie once, he pretended to have noticed something around the house and flew right in its direction at full speed. Harry could hear from the cheers and the wind that Charlie was now following him.

Harry was doing what the twins would later call a horizontal Wronski Feint. Harry flew as fast as possible toward the house and turned to the right at the last moment. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Charlie had realised what was going on and turned to the left before Harry did, making up for the handling difference. Both slightly brushed against the house. The small crowd saw each seeker go to one side of the house and disappear behind. They didn't reappear as fast as they thought.

"What are they doing?" asked Ron.

"Why is it taking so long?" asked Sirius.

Then, they saw Charlie fly back in view at full speed, quickly followed by Harry. In front of them was the Golden Snitch.

"It's there! LET'S GO HARRY!" shouted Sophia. The small crowd all raised on their feet to support their Seeker. Bill and Percy were the only ones supporting Charlie while Sirius, Sophia, Hermione, Ginny and the twins all shouted Harry's name."

"LET'S GO HARRY!" repeated Ginny.

"LET'S GO CHARLIE, SHOW WHO'S THE BEST!" shouted Bill.

The Nimbus' superior speed had allowed Harry to close the gap to Charlie and both were now side-by-side. The Snitch surprised both when it suddenly dived down. The Seekers followed it when the Snitch then flew toward the left then right, another left, leaving the duo only a few feet from the ground. Charlie lost some distance as his broom wasn't as good as Harry's. Harry had no problem following the Snitch and was right about to grab it when it suddenly flew up and backward. Harry was so focused on the Snitch that before he could react, he felt himself jump backward from his broom and grab the snitch. The Nimbus continued his root and stuck itself in a tree while Harry fell down a few feet before he landed on his back in the grass. Harry raised his hand and showed to the crowd that he had the Golden Snitch.

The crowd cheered when Harry showed the Snitch. Charlie landed near Harry and helped him back on his feet. "Bloody hell Harry!" he said, laughing. "I didn't expect you to jump from your broom!" said the red-head before using a Summoning Charm on Harry's broom. The Nimbus flew back toward them and Harry grabbed it.

"Neither did I." said Harry, grinning. "I saw the Snitch fly on top of me and I reacted before I realised what was happening."

"Well, I can see that you live up to your reputation." said Charlie, grinning as well. "You were a true challenge, more than I ever had at Hogwarts." he said which made Harry straighten up in pride. He heard a lot of times that Charlie had been one of the best Seekers of the last century and that he could have played for the English Quidditch Team had he wanted to. To heard the man then say that he considered him to be a good challenge maybe Harry happy. Together, they walked back toward everyone else. Harry was grinning when he saw everyone cheer at the duo. Everyone excluding Sophia, who was glaring at him. Harry then thought back about it and realised that he had stupidly jumped from his broom to catch a small ball. Sure, they weren't high, only a few feet, but he still did something incredibly stupid.

"Hey." said Harry to his fiancé, timidly.

"So, flying is too dangerous for me but then you go do something like that?" she asked. Harry couldn't help the blush.

"I just asked if it was safe when pregnant. I was told it was so I relaxed and forgot about it." said Harry, defending himself. "And for what is worth, I'm sorry. I didn't realise what I was doing until after I had already started falling down."

Sophia grabbed Harry in her arms and whispered "Don't do it again, I don't think the twins would like it if their dad injured himself by doing something stupid while playing Quidditch."

"I won't." grinned Harry. Just thinking about his twin children could bring back a smile to his face. Sophia then grabbed a broom and started flying, quickly joined by nearly everyone else. The group all spent the afternoon outside, either flying or playing. As the sun was about to set, both Harry and Sophia landed.

"I'm thinking about something." started Harry while they were walking toward the house. Most had already walked back in groups of two or three. "I know I suggested to keep it a secret, but should we tell the prospective godmothers about the fact that we are having twins?"

"We could." grinned Sophia. "So, Hermione and Ginny are godmothers?"

"I think that's perfect."

"Let's tell them then." she said. As it happened, Hermione and Ginny were the only two others who hadn't entered the house yet. "Ginny! Hermione!" shouted Sophia. The two girls turned around and Sophia waved at them to come to them.

"What is it?" asked Ginny when she and Hermione had joined the future parents.

"We have something important to tell you but you must swear to keep it a secret." said Harry.

When both swore that they would keep their secrets for themselves, Sophia grinned and said "Only two others know about what we are about to tell you. Mum and Sirius."

"And what is it?" asked the always curious Hermione.

"We are having twins!"

The two girls grabbed the couple in a hug.

"Twins! You are having twins!" said Ginny happily.

"That's amazing!" said Hermione. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." said Harry.

"We are having a boy and a girl." said Sophia. All four had goofy grins.

"And there is a reason why we are telling you this." said Harry.

"We want you to be their godmothers."

Hermione and Ginny squeaked and quickly accepted.

"I will!" said Hermione.

"I will too!" said Ginny.

"Have you decided names?"

"Not yet." answered Sophia. "We have a few ideas in mind but we won't decide until they are born."

"It's the type of thing where we will just know what name will fit best when we will finally meet them." said Harry.

"I can't wait." said all three girls at the same time before they burst out into laughter. Harry couldn't help the smirk nor the roll of the eyes.

Inside the house, the Floo flared and the Headmaster's head appeared. "Hello?" he asked.

"Hello Professor!" said Sirius, who had been the first to hear the Headmaster.

"Ah, Sirius, just the man I wanted to see. I have a guest waiting for you in my office. I think you would like to meet that particular person." he said, his eyes twinkling.

"Alright, I'm coming." said Sirius. The Headmaster's head disappeared. Sirius walked back toward the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley had started cooking diner and where Mr. Weasley was helping her. "The Headmaster just asked me to come to his office... I feel like I'm still at school." he said, chuckling. "I don't think I will be back today so I wanted to thank you for allowing me to come here."

"No need to Sirius." said Mrs. Weasley.

"We are happy to see you alive and well... and sane." said Mr. Weasley.

Sirius chuckled. "I don't think I have ever been sane, not even before Azkaban. Well, see you later!" he said before he walked back toward the parlour. Sirius grabbed some Floo Powder and threw it at the fire before shouting "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office!". Sirius walked in the green fire and was sent flying in the Floo Network. It took a few moments but he eventually got back out in Dumbledore's office. He thought about how glad he was that he was still able to cross the Floo without falling after all these years but that thought left immediately the moment his eyes laid on the figure in front of him. It was a woman with auburn hair and blue eyes, a beautiful woman in Auror robes that he hadn't seen in nearly twelve years, the woman he loved.

"Amy?" he croaked emotionally.


	28. Amelia and Sirius

A lot of things happened the day Peter Pettigrew had been captured. While Harry and Sophia were asking their friends if they wanted to be bridesmaid/groomsmen/Best-man, Dumbledore and Remus had taken Pettigrew and Flooed to the Ministry of Magic. Padfoot stayed behind at the Burrow.

As Chief Warlock of the Wizenmagot, Dumbledore had access to all restricted fireplaces in the Ministry so he was able to bring Remus and Peter through one of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's fireplaces. Remus was first to arrive on Level Two of the Ministry which caused many employees in red cloaks to raise eyebrows since he wasn't on the restricted list but their confusion quickly vanished when Albus Dumbledore, holding a man prisoner Flooed as well.

"Good morning!" said Dumbledore in a cheerful voice.

"Dumbledore? What's the meaning of this?" asked Madam Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. As the Head of the DMLE, she was notified every time someone Flooed through one of their restricted fireplaces and had barely left her office when Dumbledore arrived.

"Madam Bones! Just the person I needed to see." said Dumbledore. "I have someone that need to be put into custody for murder of twelve people."

Madam Bones frowned. "Why haven't we heard of these supposed murders?" she said while approaching the trio.

"You did, but someone else was wrongly accused." said Dumbledore. "This is Peter Pettigrew." As he had guessed, many people in the Department gasped.

"That can't be true, Peter Pettigrew is dead." said Madam Bones in shock. Amelia had remembered the morning of November the Third 1981. She learned that her boyfriend Sirius Black had been arrested for betraying their friends the Potters, murdering Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles. Dumbledore hadn't said it outright but it was obvious that he believed that Pettigrew had been the one to commit these crimes, not the man she once loved... or still did. The fact that Remus Lupin, Sirius, Peter and James Potter's best friend was with the Headmaster and the prisoner told her what she needed to know.

"I assure you Madam Bones that this is Pettigrew. I interrogated him with Veritaserum myself."

Madam Bones didn't like that. She knew that Dumbledore didn't have the right to use that prohibited potion but she also knew that he would only do so if it was necessary. And anyway, it was hard to punish the Chief Warlock for a minor crime. "Fine. Savage, Williamson!" she said to two Aurors. "Put manacles on him and take the prisoner to Holding Cell Three."

"Yes Ma'am." answered both Aurors. The first Auror put manacles around Pettigrew's wrists before they dragged him toward one of the corridors at the other end of the DMLE's Headquarters.

"You two, come with me." said Madam Bones in a tone that didn't let anything open to discussion. She guided them to her office and the moment she closed the door, her cool façade fell.

"Amelia?" asked Remus to his friend, concerned.

"Please tell me that Sirius is innocent!" pleaded the usually strict Head of the DMLE.

"He is." confirmed Remus. He put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way. "Sirius found Harry and told him his story. Peter was Lily and James' real Secret-Keeper while Sirius was a public decoy and was the one that killed the twelve muggles. Albus was able to confirm it under Veritaserum."

Remus saw the comfort that the news brought to Amelia. Amelia Bones had been a Hufflepuff student in the same year as Lily and the Marauders. The Marauders had mostly ignored her in the first few years while Lily became friends with Amelia. Just like Lily, Amelia had auburn red-hair and it wasn't rare that a few people confused Lily and Amelia for sisters, even if they weren't best friends, only good ones. The two red-heads did however once have a prank-war with the Marauders in their last year at Hogwarts when Lily had just started dating James. The duo's lack of experience was quickly fixed by their extensive knowledge and managed to get toe-to-toe with the Marauders and she became friends with them.

After graduation, Amelia, Sirius and James had joined the Auror Academy and she became best friends with the two former Gryffindors and by extension, Remus Lupin. When they graduated from the Academy in 1979, Amelia and Sirius became partners at work. It didn't take long for them to start dating.

Sirius's arrest in 1981 had changed Amelia. Before, she was known as witty and fun to be around but the murder of her friends Lily and James and Sirius's arrest caused her personality to change dramatically. She hadn't believed it at first but after hearing of the supposed evidences, her opinion slowly changed. The former Head of the DMLE at the time, Barty Crouch had given her a leave of absence for the month of November of that year. She had barely left hers and Sirius's flat. While everyone celebrated the defeat of Voldemort and the end of the war, Amelia mourned the deaths of two of her closest friends and tried to forget about the betrayal of her boyfriend. The fact that her brother and sister-in-law had died the same week which left her with a one-year-old Susan Bones to take care of didn't help.

The new Amelia Bones that came to work in December 1981 was barely recognisable from the old one. She was still as fair and loyal as she was before but she had become strict. Amelia also became distant to everyone else but her niece. She didn't know if she could handle another betrayal of a loved one. There were now only two things important in her life: her niece Susan and her job. Her commitement to the job made her get promotions after promotions and she was quickly promoted to Head of the Auror Department in 1986. Two years later, she became Head of the DMLE, the second youngest in the history of the Department after William Potter in 1753.

While she didn't show any weakness on the outside, Sirius' escape from Azkaban had scared her. She wasn't afraid of ending up in a duel with her former boyfriend, she was afraid that he would come to Susan or Harry to harm them.

Now, nearly a month after his escape, she learned that Sirius had been innocent all along.

"Why didn't it come up in his trial?" she asked to the Chief Warlock.

Professor Dumbledore avoided to look at her eyes. "He didn't have one."

"WHAT!?" she thundered. "What do you mean Sirius didn't have a trial?"

"He didn't have one Amelia." said Remus. "Sirius told us that he was stunned in the middle of the street and woke up in his cell in Azkaban."

"He didn't have a trial... I could have gotten him one... I could have got him out of there earlier..." said Amelia, starting to hyperventilate. It wasn't every day that Madam Bones showed her emotions but that day was one of them. Twelve years of bottled-up emotions resurfaced in the Office of the Head of the DMLE.

Remus rubbed her back and said "If it can make you feel better, Sirius doesn't blame you."

"But I didn't even get him a trial when I could!" cried Amelia.

"Sirius know you well enough to suspect that you believed he had received one. He knew that if you believed that he hadn't, you would have given him one just because it was the right thing to do." said Dumbledore.

Remus nodded in confirmation before he said "He's been eager to see you, although he doesn't know if you believed his innocence or not."

"I didn't." said Amelia, tearing up. "I had heard of the supposed evidence and believed it... I never stopped loving him but I didn't even have faith in him... will he ever forgive me?"

"He forgave me." said Remus. "Until a few days ago, I believed just like you that Sirius had betrayed James, Lily and Harry and had killed Peter. Now we know the truth."

"Now we know." repeated Amelia. She then quickly raised on her feet, wiped the few tears that had leaked out and said "It's time to interrogate the bastard." in reference to Pettigrew before she walked toward the door.

"Amelia, wait!" said Remus suddenly. Amelia stopped and turned her head around. "Peter is a rat Animagus. We already gave him an Anti-Animagus Potion but it should wear out soon. Don't let him escape that way."

"I won't." she simply said before she left.

Remus and Albus were left alone in Amelia's office. Dumbledore turned toward his friend and said "It has been a long time since I saw Amelia display so many emotions."

"I believe that Sirius's arrest caused her to close down on everyone else. I think she bottled-up her emotions and it started to come out when she learned the truth. I just don't believe it is even a quarter of how she feels and I don't even want to imagine how she will react once she sees Sirius.

* * *

Amelia walked at rapid pace in the Holding Cells corridor alongside two Aurors. She had told one of the DMLE' Potions Masters to bring a vial of Veritaserum. While confessions under Veritaserum couldn't be used in court, the potion itself could be used during the trial. The only difference that made the use of Veritaserum in court legal was that the Wizenmagot was able to supervise its use, to be sure it wasn't abused. While Amelia now knew the truth and believed it, it didn't stop her from wanting more evidence.

Amelia stopped in front of Peter Pettigrew's cell. In front of her eyes laid the true traitor. The one that had sent Voldemort to the Potters' doorstep and framed Sirius for his crimes. Amelia had never really liked Peter before. From her point of view, she always felt like he stood out in their group of friends. She remembered that Peter had slowly changed in the last two years of the war. He had looked more afraid and tense. At the time, she had simply put it as him being affected by the war but she now believed that it was because he feared of being discovered by his friends.

"Proudfoot, Boorman, bring him in Interrogation Room One." she ordered to one of the Aurors.

"Yes Ma'am." answered the Aurors before they unlocked the cell and dragged the burly wizard toward their destination.

A few hours later and Amelia nearly had to restrain herself from killing the rat in front of them. Before the interrogation began, they had given him another dose of Anti-Animagus Potion and then Veritaserum. She then started asking questions while Auror Boorman was supervising the Self-Writing Quill to be sure it recorded everything accurately.

Peter Pettigrew's questioning taught them that Peter had been a spy for the other side ever since their last year at Hogwarts. When asked why he had turned to the other side and betrayed his friends, Peter said that it was because he wanted to one-up them, who always believed they were superior to him. Amelia knew it was rubbish. While it was true that Pettigrew wasn't as powerful or magically competent as the rest of the Marauders, they had never believed that they were superior to him. James, Sirius and Remus were even proud to be able to help him when he needed their help and always saw him as their equal. Pettigrew's problem was his insecurities and he just hadn't had faith in his friends and because of that, he did the worse thing possible and betrayed them to the enemy.

Peter was able to keep his cover until 1981 when the Potters learned that they were targeted by Voldemort and that Dumbledore had suggested them to hide under the Fidelius. Amelia learned more about what had happened that day. It had happened barely a week before the attack at Godric's Hollow. The Potters' original plan was to use Sirius as a Secret-Keeper but Sirius had refused, thinking that he was too obvious of a choice. Sirius believed that there might have a chance that he would reveal the secret under torture, a chance he didn't want to take. Instead, they had chosen Pettigrew as Secret-Keeper while Sirius and the Potters would tell everyone that Sirius was the true Secret-Keeper. When asked why they hadn't chosen Remus, Peter simply said that he had planted seeds of doubts in their minds that Remus might be the traitor because he was a werewolf. Amelia had been disgusted by the answer and had to calm herself or she would have hit him.

Amelia then asked what happened on the evening of November the Second. Peter had answered by saying that Sirius had found him that day and ran after him in the crowd of muggles. When he finally caught him, Peter knew that he was screwed unless something big happened. Peter decided to use the fact that everyone believed Sirius to be the Secret-Keeper and shouted loudly that Sirius had betrayed the Potters before sending a Blasting Hex on a Gas line, cutting one of his fingers and disappeared in the sewers, hidden in his Animagus form.

Amelia let the two Aurors drag Peter back into a cell, this time a specially warded one against Animagus while she pondered on everything she had learned. On the outside, she didn't look any different from usual but in the inside, she was a mess. So many emotions travelled back and forth that it was almost nauseating. One thing Amelia knew however was that she needed to see Sirius again.

She then travelled back to her office. There was a private fireplace in her office where she could travel in and out. She was the only one keyed for travel so unless one had her permission, they could only use her fireplace to send calls. Amelia took a pinch of Floo Powder before she shouted "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office!" and put her head in the now green fire.

After a few instants of spins and contractions, she was now able to see the inside of Dumbledore's Office at Hogwarts. She saw that she was alone and nearly cursed before she remembered that there were portraits in the room.

"Can any portrait hear me?" she asked. A few portraits answered in the affirmative. "Can you tell Albus that I need to talk to him now?"

"I will, Madam Bones." said the portrait of Headmaster Amerose Swott, former Potions Master and Head of Hogwarts between 1724 and 1741.

"Thank you Headmaster Swott." said Amelia before she waited. It took a few minutes but eventually, Dumbledore entered his office.

"Albus!" nearly shouted Amelia the moment she laid eyes on him. "Do you know where Sirius is? I really need to talk to him."

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Then come through Amelia." he answered. Amelia did exactly so and a few seconds later, she was standing in the Office.

"Sirius is here? At Hogwarts?"

"Sirius is staying here until he receives a trial but he isn't here currently. He is currently at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Potters."

"Potters?" asked Amelia incredulously. "As in plural?"

"I meant Harry and his fiancé." corrected the Headmaster, chuckling. "The Burrow!" he said after throwing Floo Powder in his fireplace. A minute later, Dumbledore's head emerged back from his fireplace. "He is coming." he simply said.

Amelia looked nervously at the fireplace. She hadn't been this nervous in years. Not even in duty had she felt that way, at least not since her first few missions and assignments. After an eternity, the fireplace flared green and a very familiar looking man emerged from the fireplace. It was obvious from Sirius Black's shocked face that Dumbledore had forgotten to tell him who wanted to see him.

"Amy?" he croaked emotionally.

"S-Sirius!" shouted back Amelia, happily crying before she ran toward him and took him in his arms. She cried in his shoulders. Dumbledore left his office so to give them some private time.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry' I'm sorry..." she repeated. Sirius was still in shock and was barely registering it, instead taking a proper look at the red-head.

"Amy? Is that really you?"

Amelia nodded in his shoulder. "It's me." she muttered. "I'm so sorry that I didn't believe your innocence!" she cried again.

"It's alright..." he whispered in her ear. "I learned of the evidence while staying with Remus and I have to say that Wormtail really got me good there. I'm just dissapointed that I was never tried..." he started and suddenly felt Amelia tense in his arms "...but I don't blame you for that either. You didn't become Head until a few years ago and I know that you would never had let someone rot in Azkaban without a trial so I suspected that you didn't know I didn't have one." Sirius felt Amelia relax in his arms. She had stopped crying and was just holding onto him.

After a few minutes, Sirius said. "I still love you, you know?"

Amelia squeezed him a bit more and looked at him with her wet eyes. Their lips were only inches apart. "I love you too. I never stopped, even when I believed that you were guilty. I used to hate myself for it but now that I know the truth, I am glad it never left." she said before she kissed him. Sirius quickly kissed her back.

It's on this scene that Dumbledore later found the couple. By that point, Amelia was sitting on Dumbledore's desk, her legs wrapped around Sirius waist. He stopped when he saw them and turned back and decided just to go to diner right away. As long as they didn't go too far in his own office, he would let them get... reacquainted privately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Different take on Amelia Bones. I decided in this story to portray her true personality more as a mix of Lily and Hermione while her canon and even fandom personality as a facade. This isn't Canon Amelia Bones, the lady with grey hair that faced Harry in his trial in Order of the Pheonix but a younger counterpart that was truly affected by what happened on Halloween 1981. She is also a lot younger, the same age as Lily and the Marauders and I paired her with Sirius, something often seen in fanfiction. It was a pairing a like a lot and wanted to see it in this story as well.


End file.
